Belka and Strelka

Two dogs sent to space (1960) by Russians before they send Yuri Gagarin(April 12, 1961) - first man in space. Probably not many dogs (or even people) acheaved more.
(I was really tempted to call them Russian Dogs)
The really first dog in space was laika, but Belka and Strelka were the first two dogs to come back alive.
In Russian Belka (whity or squorel), Strelka (arrow).

My mom's boyfriend, Vladimer Garin, used to work for the Russian version of NASA and he actually trained those two dogs and kept them at his house before they send them off. He was very upset when they died from collapsed kidneys and other vital organs after they came back, they didn't handle the pressure upon reentry very well.

He has a framed picture of him and the two dogs in his living room.