Definition of "laika"

Q—The Russians picked a laika to occupy the space capsule. Do you think a dachshund would have been a wiser choice?

1957, The New Yorker, volume 33, page 54

Indeed, they have been hybridising for a very long time, as is evidenced by the laika, a wolf-like dog that even today accompanies various Siberian peoples.

2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 287