A clever pet dog has found a unique way to climb out of a swimming pool - by popping up through the filter.

The sweet Jack Russell Terrier named 'BabyGirl' doggy paddles through the water before ducking down and emerging inside the plastic skimmer filter on the other side of the pool.

She then trots around the pool's rim and hops onto a surfboard to float above the water outside the family home in southern Illinois on May 10

Owner Melissa Sims said BabyGirl had been doing the funny trick since she was a puppy around seven years ago as soon as she learned to swim in the family's inground pool.

She said: 'She went for the skimmer like it was a doggy door and we were shocked. It’s old hat now. She does it all day long in the summer.'