Barker, Panther, Little Fox, Squirrel, Little Arrow, Little Bee, Little Fly, Little Lady, Beauty, Blackie, Little Star, Little Wind and Little Piece Of Coal - the first 13 dogs sent into orbit. Or, to give them their far more poetic-sounding Russian names, Laika, Bars, Lisichka, Belka, Strelka, Pchelka, Mushka, Damka, Krasavka, Chernushka, Zvezdochka, Verterok and Ugolyok.

Only five of the dogs died in space - the others returned safely to earth. The Americans fondly called Laika "Muttnik". Accompanying Zvezdochka was a wooden dummy cosmonaut named Ivan Ivanovich. (Not this Ivan Ivanovich.)

What has this got to do with anything? Absolutely nothing. But it's more interesting than reading more bloody election analyses, isn't it? Or doing any work.