This book takes readers into the world of the revered canines that were essential in Russia's early dominance in the space race. While I knew of Laika, the book also showed me other locally famous dogs and how they were immortalized in collectible tchotchkes.

This was such an interesting and informative book and is one that I would for sure use as a coffee table book because the pictures were interesting and if you sit down and read it, there are many fascinating and little known facts.

A timely tale considering the new innovations in space travel and exploration currently being undertaken.

This can be a hard read for sensitive hearts, the treatment of the early canine cosmonauts was not always the most humane and some were destined for a one way journey. However, this is an important topic not well represented in the literature and the extensive photos makes this a compelling read.

Our canine friends who helped develop space exploration are finally given their due in a well-written tome.

I am familiar with the US Space Program but I was not familiar with the Russian Program and their use of Dogs. This book presents a history of the program and biographies of the dogs. Also included are lots of photographs of the program and the author's collection. The dogs that survived the trip into space were welcomed home as heroes and their likeness appeared on a variety of souvenirs. Anyone interested in the history of the Russian space programs will enjoy reading and looking at this book.

Walt Disney famously said that his entertainment empire “all started with a mouse.” In the case of space exploration, it’s fair to say that it all started with a dog. Several dogs, as it happened, the brave canines who made up the Soviet Union’s space dogs program.

Space Dogs by Martin Parr looks at the history of the program and the dogs that worked there in detail. While many names have become famous over the decades—Laika, Belka, and Strelka in particular—the book also looks at the lesser known dogs and the human staff they worked with. It explores the training the dogs went through, the experiments carried out on them, and the missions that took them into space and into the history books.

At times, this is a difficult book to read. For all the important and worthy milestones achieved by the space dogs (and the other animals used in space missions, such as Ham the chimp), there’s no denying the ethical problems which come with strapping a creature that doesn’t understand what is happening to it onto a rocket and launching them into space—sometimes knowingly on a one-way trip. Space Dogs doesn’t shy away from these discussions and also looks at the feelings of the human staff who worked on the program and the sadness and regret many of them have experienced after their involvement. It’s an important conversation to have as we move forward into a new era of space exploration, but that doesn’t make the facts any easier to stomach.

Author Martin Parr is also a collector of space dog paraphernalia, and at least half the book is given over to photographs of the many items he has gathered over the years along with captions describing their histories. The space dogs were considered heroes in the Soviet Union, a culture that didn’t really allow for human celebrities, and their faces were plastered all over everything from clocks to candy tins, storybooks to stamps. It’s certainly interesting to see these items and gain an understanding of the hugely different culture that produced them, yet I have to admit they did become rather samey after the first dozen or so items. There are, after all, only so many clocks one can look at pictures of.

More interesting to me was the information on what happened to the dogs that returned to earth after their missions. I had somehow totally missed the story of Strelka’s litter of puppies and their ties to US-Soviet diplomacy during the 1960s, and this section of the book ended up being my favorite by far.

This was a short yet fascinating look at the space dogs program that balanced respect toward the sacrifices thee dogs unwittingly made in the name of human progress, with enthusiasm for what was achieved by them. Perhaps we will soon see more dogs headed to space (and even other animals) when humans build bases on the moon and Mars, but for now, Space Dogs will help the legacies of Laika, Belka, Strelka, and the other canine cosmonauts live on.

My initial interest in reading this book was due to my love for dogs. I also wanted to learn more on a subject which I had next to no knowledge of. The photos of memorabilia which followed on from space travel by dogs were also interesting. It never ceases to amaze me what people will create to make money and/or celebrate an event.
My love for dogs caused me to struggle with the ethics of using them for experimental purposes. Although I understand the justifications used I'm not sure how valid some of those reasons are. Despite my concerns I do think books like this are needed as they explain/illustrate/educate the public
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I love learning about space history and this book brought me back to my 7th grade physics and astronomy school project about space firsts. I liked it, but overall the design needs a little refining.

Before reading this book, I knew very little other than the fact that dogs were sent into space by the Russian space program. I enjoyed seeing the photos and reading the stories (even though some of them were sad) of the dogs. The connection to the Kennedys was interesting...everyone bonds over dogs! And the amount and variety of space dog commemorative items boggles the mind!

Great book that brings to life how animals, specifically dogs, have made an impact on our ability to study space. I am so glad this book has been published this summer as our summer learning theme is all about the universe.

For me, this was an okay book, but nothing more. It gives an introduction to the Russian space dogs and has a bunch of photos, but I felt it was often too many photos of the merchandise. Also, even though the book doesn't quite gloss over the fact that this was animal testing, I still felt it was a tiny bit glorified, in lack of better words.

Did you know that there were space dogs? I didn’t. Did you know the Russians use dogs living on the streets to become space dogs? I didn’t. The first dog (whose name in English was Barker) sent to outer space was successful but unfortunately did not make it back to earth alive due to a malfunction. How sad. Future dogs made the trips to Outer space successfully. Russians were quite excited about their space dogs and made several souvenirs with an image of the dogs. There are photographs of the memorabilia with the dogs. It was interest to see how the dogs were and still are celebrated as heroes.

An interesting book that showed me a part of history that I never knew. It’s a book I would recommend reading if you are a fan of outer space. As I read this book and thought about it, I thought of the movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” even though there no dog characters in it —l thought of the raccoon. . . I suppose that it is not relevant but it did come to my mind. I am glad I got to read it due to my interest in outer space.

Thank you NetGalley and Lawrence King Publishing LLC for this arc.

While I found this a somewhat interesting read, I was fascinated with all the pictures! I never realized they had such a souvenir collection behind them! It definitely read as a documentary, while I was hoping for more of a story feel.

During the iconic space race, several dogs have been the first to visit the outer atmosphere space. This book is a very well documented compilation of these part of Space’s history.

#SpaceDogs #NetGalley #MoonAnniversary

Im a space geek so I enjoyed this look at mans best in space. Our use of animals in testing is always controversial but I feel this book does a good job of presenting the information. I would recommend the book to all fans of space exploration

An excellent short account of the Soviet space dogs. The text is superbly illustrated with many photos of the dogs themselves plus the author’s own collection of space-dog memorabilia. It’s good to have these poor creatures celebrated once again and their largely forgotten lives and adventures resurrected in this small homage.

Disclaimer: I am someone that absolutely loves dogs, which is why this book caught my attention. I love any book that demonstrates the importance of dogs and this book was incredibly well written and filled with information that I never would have known without reading it. I highly recommend this!

Although I had heard of Laika, the first canine cosmonaut, I had no idea that her story had generated a huge amount of merchandise and memorabilia. The photos were fascinating but I had expected a little more from the book. It was brief and in my opinion, felt a little cold when discussing the deaths of the dogs and the medical procedures others were put through.

This is still an interesting read for anyone interested in the history of the Soviet Union and the 'space race'.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Space Dogs is one of those books I was sure I’d absolutely love, only to be let down page by page, though not by the content. There is much to love about the storied history of Laika and the dogs that followed her. From the scientifically unusual way the dogs were chosen to the unlikely role one puppy played in easing Cold War tensions, the stories about Soviet dogs are fascinating. The memorabilia and collections dedicated to canines of these Soviet studies is extensive and it is interesting to see the consumerism and advertising of that historic period.

I had a tough time trying to see past the lousy book design, which felt choppy and disjointed. The squared-off text was so forced that in one instance, a word was hyphenated at the bottom of a recto page and not picked up again until a three pages of photographs later. The amount of negative space or “air” on many of the pages was at odds with the undersized captions throughout, while other pages felt burdensome. A better balance could easily have been managed through better utilization of air on some of the more predominantly white pages. I am usually able to look past some of these design issues, but on a book clearly intended as a gift of impulse buy, I couldn’t manage. I expected a better product from the renowned creators. The story of the celebrated canine cosmonauts is authored by internationally acclaimed documentary photographer Martin Parr and features the text of Richard Hollingham, journalist, author, BBC correspondent of all things space and science. Two and a half stars.


Thanks to Lawrence King Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest and unbiased. #NetGalley #SpaceDogs

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A fascinating read focused on the use of dogs in space exploration by the USSR. The narrative is interspersed with photos of memorabilia that commemorated the accomplishments of dogs in the Russian space program. I was especially interested in the story of the puppy (Pushinka) who was a gift to the Kennedy family and lived in the White House. This is a timely release as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this summer. Folks who love dogs and are interested in learning more about space will find this a worthwhile read.

Thank you to Lawrence King Publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book is light and interesting, with lots of photos of ephemera which is always fun. It's definitely for readers interested in this specific topic although those interested in the space race, dogs, and general history could enjoy the book.