Mr Lin, of Wuchang in central China's Hubei province, told the Wuhan Evening Post that Ding Ding had always loved water. "I often swim in Donghu Lake, and used to leave him on the bank to take care of my clothes and valuables. But he couldn't stop jumping into the water and swimming with me," he said.

"When he was swimming, he would bite anything floating in the water, like bottles, foam rubber, or dead fish, and bring them back to the bank.  But several days ago he suddenly started catching live fish from the lake. Within 10 minutes he had brought back three big fish, weighing more than 3kg."

Lin says Ding Ding now regularly leaps into the lake and comes back with a live fish in his mouth - to the amazement of passers-by.  "He can tell where the fish are located by seeing the bubbles coming from the water," he added. Shocked local angler Mr Zhao commented: "I've been fishing in Donghu Lake for decades but this is the first time I've ever seen a fishing dog."

The original was here