Saving Laika

A time-traveling dog brings two lonely souls together in this heartwarming and cozy story from the author of Cat’s People.

2027: On November 3rd, the night of Tala Dallas Dominguez’s fiftieth birthday, she reflects on all that’s good in her life: director of a successful dog shelter. Mother to her aspiring filmmaker daughter. Cat mom to her grumpy companion.

But still reeling from the recent death of her rescue beagle, Tala wistfully wishes that the Soviet space dog Laika had never been launched into space on this very day in 1957. Then she blows out the candles on her cake . . . catapulting Laika from her doomed fate aboard the Sputnik 2 straight into Tala’s living room seventy years later.

1957: The Russian government’s spies from the future know what Tala’s done, and they blackmail Vladimir Balakin, Laika’s kind and gentle caretaker, to travel forward in time. He must retrieve Laika so she can fulfill her duty and restore their legacy—or risk losing his beloved daughter.

As Tala’s life takes an unexpected turn, with Laika’s sudden presence and that of the charmingly odd new stranger in her life, Vladimir must make a difficult choice between his mission and his affection for Laika and Tala. But amidst these impossible circumstances, hope may prove more powerful than space and time itself.

A charming escapist romp, Saving Laika gives a beloved historical figure a second chance as it explores the life-affirming power of wishes, connection, and new beginnings.