The first living beings sent into outer space were fruit flies. Sent to test the effects of radiation on DNA, they flew in a V2 rocket to a height of 106 miles and returned to earth alive.
In 1948 Albert, the first monkey to be sent, only made it to 39 miles (the term “space” only applies to the Kármán Line 62 miles above the earth surface) and suffocated at some point during the trip.
In 1949 Albert II, a male rhesus monkey, made it to a height of 83 miles in a V2 rocket but died with the impact of landing.
After Albert II, a number of other monkeys flew aboard rockets, but none survived the flight.
Here’s an interesting post about the first Russian dog in space.
: https://fluentwoof.com/laika-the-first-dog-in-space/