The Soviets didn’t hold dogs in high reguard like we did/do.
That’s why we sent chimps instead.
Beria had humans working with bare hands to create the first Soviet bomb so it’s no surprise about the dogs.
There was a space radio listener in the UK who recorded Russian speakers in the 1960s begging to “get me down” etc. Gagarin might’ve been the first to return rather than the first to orbit.