Pushinka (Russian: Пушинка, lit. ’Fluffy’) was a dog given by the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, in 1961. Pushinka was the daughter of Strelka, who had travelled into space aboard Korabl-Sputnik 2.

Despite the hostility between their countries, the two men also exchanged presents. One was a dog called Pushinka, whose mother was one of the first dogs to fly into space and return alive.

Pushinka became pregnant by one of the Kennedys’ dogs, Charlie, and gave birth to four puppies, whom the president jokingly called pupniks. The White House received 5,000 requests from members of the public asking for Pushinka’s puppies