Soviet dog’s space capsule could fetch $10 million at Sotheby’s

The Vostok 3KA-2, a giant rusty ball, orbited the Earth on March 25, 1961. It carried a life-size cosmonaut mannequin and a live dog, and landed two hours after launch in a snow-blanketed field about 700 miles from Moscow.

Three weeks later, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin climbed into an identical vehicle and became the first human to travel into outer space.

The test capsule could fetch as much as $10 million when auctioned on April 12, the 50th anniversary of Gagarin’s voyage.

The four-legged cosmonaut traveling on 3KA-2 was named Zvezdochka and fared better than some of her canine predecessors just by surviving. The documentary footage played at Sotheby’s shows the dog looking alert, if slightly out of breath, when removed from the capsule.

Sotheby’s offered the test capsule in 1996, with an estimate of $800,000 to $1 million. It didn’t sell and was later acquired privately by an anonymous U.S. businessman directly from the Russians.

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Zvezdochka photo from Corbis

"The dog shown is "Zvezdochka" (Little Star), one of Russia's "Space Dogs," which was reportedly launched and returned safely to earth upon command, in a five-ton Soviet space vehicle, on March 25th. This was the fifth such vehicle to be successfully put into orbit by the Russians, in their attempt to put a man into space and return him safely. The soviet news agency, TASS reported that the dog "feels normal." The main purpose of the launching was "the further improvement of the design of the satellite spaceship and its system" for putting a man into space and returning him to earth."

Portrait of Queen Victoria’s dog up for auction

A portrait of Queen Victoria’s favorite dog, a collie named Sharp, is to go under the hammer at Bonhams New York in February. Sharp rarely left the queen’s side after the death of her husband, Prince Albert, but was known by others for his ill temper – the faithful dog was buried in Windsor Home Park, Berkshire, after his death in 1879.

The oil painting will feature in Dogs in Show & Field: The Fine Art Sale on 16th February 2011 at Bonhams New York.

Created by the Norfolk artist Charles Burton Barber, it is estimated the oil painting could attract a pre-sale estimate of £2,500 to £4,000.

His tomb stone reads: "Sharp, the favourite and faithful Collie of Queen Victoria from 1866 to 1879. Died now 1879 aged 15 years."

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Sold!

Taken by an anonymous American photographer in the 1850's, and titled "Poodle With Bow, On Table," this daguerreotype was sold at a Sotheby's auction for $8,125.

This might possibly be one of the first "Pet Photos" ever taken.

Duke of Windsor's Dog Collars Will Be Sold at Auction

Dog collars once worn by pugs belonging to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor will be part of a lot expected to sell at auction for as much as $3,000 next month in New York at Bonhams.

The sale will coincide with the Westminster Kennel Club's 132nd Annual All-Breed Dog Show, Feb. 11-12.

The five leather collars, one with a tag inscribed, ``I belong to the Duke of Windsor,'' are among about 100 dog collars being sold by a person whom Bonhams declined to name.

Auction for the Naming Rights for A New Butterfly Species

In an apparent first for butterflies, the Florida Museum of Natural History is auctioning the naming rights for a newly discovered species online to raise money for butterfly research.

University of Florida researchers George Austin and Andrew Warren discovered the new species of owl butterfly earlier this year. The discovery is significant because the species is large and colorful, and is the first butterfly from this group to be named in more than 100 years.

Rather than naming the butterfly themselves, the customary practice when new species are discovered, Austin and Warren decided to auction the naming rights of the new species to raise money to support continued research on Mexican butterflies at the McGuire Center.

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e-Bay auction to name cheetah cub

The winner of this e-Bay auction will be able to name one female cheetah cub. (Look for the male name on ebay beginning June 5.) She was born Easter Sunday in a litter of 4 at Wildlife Safari.

Cheetahs are extremely endangered and may be extinct in as little as 20 years. Breeding programs like the one at Wildlife Safari may be the only hope to keep cheetahs on earth. Wildlife Safari is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity. All bids will be treated as a donation and are tax deductible.

The winning cheetah name will appear in the International Cheetah Studbook, and be posted at Wildlife Safari. In addition to naming the cheetah cub, the winner will receive an 8X10 photo of the cub, a certificate with the cub’s paw prints, 2 tickets to drive through the park, a plush cheetah stuffed toy, and next time you visit Wildlife Safari we invite you to come meet our ambassador cheetah, Taini, up close and personal.

Wildlife Safari currently houses 26 cheetahs. The cost of keeping and managing these cats is close to $600/day. Any bid or other contribution to this program goes directly for the daily care of these animals.