Laika (from Russian:, a breed of dog, literally: "Barker") was a Russian space dog which became the first living creature from Earth to enter orbit. At one time a stray wandering the streets of Moscow, she was selected from an animal shelter. Originally named Kudryavka, she was renamed Laika after her breed type. After undergoing training with two other dogs, she was selected to be the occupant of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 and was launched into space on 3 November 1957.

Laika died a few hours after launch from stress and overheating, probably due to a malfunction in the thermal control system. The true cause of her death was not made public until decades after the flight. Some former Soviet scientists have since expressed regret that Laika was allowed to die.

Although Laika did not survive the trip, the experiment proved that a living passenger could survive being launched into orbit and endure weightlessness. It paved the way for human spaceflight and provided scientists with some of the first data on how living organisms react to spaceflight environments.

WIKIPEDIA

Space.com has the true story on Laika:The True Story of Laika the Dog

Originally posted by anxietydisorder, a member of ATS, THIS POST ID 3579515

Those Commie bastard's couldn't even tell the truth about a stray dog they got off the street's of Moscow. 
They made her famous, they launched her into space on Sputnik II. They lied all along about their progress, and they lied about Laika surviving for 4 days in orbit. She died shortly after the launch on November 3rd 1957. 

The Soviet Union only told the truth if it was convenient for them, and they've told so many lies that even now, I wonder if any information from Russia is accurate.

"Laika died a few hours after launch from stress and overheating, probably due to a malfunction in the thermal control system. The true cause of her death was not made public until decades after the flight. Some former Soviet scientists have since expressed regret that Laika was allowed to die." 

SOURCE: Wikipedia.org/Laika

They took a lot of heat from critics around the world because they had no plan to ever return her to Earth alive, and she was cremated upon re-entry after 162 days in space.

"Enough food (in a gelatinous form) was provided for a seven-day flight, and the dog was fitted with a bag to collect waste. A harness was designed to be fitted to the dog, and there were chains to restrict its movements to standing, sitting or lying down; there was no room to turn around in the cabin."

It's almost better that she died after launch, but the Soviet Union took a large public relations hit very early on in their program, and it stung. Lying became a part of their official policy, and that policy spurred the U.S.A. to accelerate their own program, so something good did come out of the lies.

Space.com has the true story on Laika:
http://www.space.com/news/laika_anniversary_991103.html