Dog Names Meaning Gifted

Caroline Kennedy, the US ambassador to Japan, recalled in an interview, "My mother told a funny story. She was sitting next to Khrushchev at a state dinner in Vienna. She ran out of things to talk about, so she asked about the dog, Strelka, that the Russians shot into space. During the conversation, my mother asked about Strelka's puppies. A few months later, a puppy arrived, and my father had no idea where the dog came from and couldn't believe my mother had done that."

The puppy was Strelka's puppy. A small mixed breed who was officially listed on her paperwork as a 'non-breed.' The new little puppy was very fluffy, so the Kennedy family called the puppy, "Pushinka," which means, "fluffy" in Russian. 

On June 21, 1961, the President wrote a brief letter to Khrushchev thanking him for the gift of the fluffy puppy. "Mrs. Kennedy and I were particularly pleased to receive Pushinka. Her flight from the Soviet Union to the United States was not as dramatic as the flight of her mother. Nevertheless, it was a long voyage, and she stood it well. We both appreciate your remembering these matters in your busy life."

Pushinka quickly settled into life at the White House and bonded firmly with Caroline Kennedy. She would often follow the child into the little girl's tree house. The dog would even slide down the slide with the child. Caroline Kennedy said in an interview with Larry King that, "Sending the dog down that slide is probably my first memory." 

Upon reaching adulthood, Pushinka would mate with one of the other dogs owned by the Kennedy family. She had four adorable puppies. Over 5,000 people from around the United States wrote to the White House asking if they could have one of the famous puppies. The puppies were named, "Blackie, Streaker, Butterfly, and Whitetips." Two of the puppies were given to families living in the Midwest who had petitioned the White House for the puppies, and two were given to family friends. 

Nowadays, there is undoubtedly a multitude of Pushinka descendants living across the United States. The small dog started out as a pure gift from one world leader to another, and she touched the hearts of not only the Kennedy family but also many in the nation.