One of the coolest dogs to appear in the pages of LIFE has to be Bellybutton. The 3-year-old German shorthaired pointer made an impression in 1966 with his underwater agility.
Written content by Eliza Berman for LIFE
Ralph Crane The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Bellybutton was unique not for his swimming abilities, but for his willingness to dive to retrieve an object. Most dogs retrieve sticks and balls from the water’s surface, but Bellybutton would go as deep as 20 feet and remain submerged for up to 15 seconds. He even practiced his skill on his own one day, LIFE reported, “he dived unbidden into a lake and fetched his master a 10-inch catfish.”
Here’s more photos of this incredible German Pointer dog named Bellybutton from LIFE:
Ralph Crane The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Ralph Crane The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Ralph Crane The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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