Giotto the bulldog skateboarder vying for Guinness World Record
He may have just lost an eye but this legendary Aussie bulldog isn’t slowing down for anyone as his humans aim predict Giotto will race his way into a Guinness World Record on a skateboard
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Giotto was just a puppy when he chased his first skateboard as if it was destiny calling.
And maybe it was, with the one-eyed Cronulla legend now rolling towards history as he chases two Guinness World Records, including the fastest 100m sprint on a skateboard by a dog.
Owners Greg and Danny Denaro went looking for sleepy, calm companion as they entered their 70s, but instead found Giotto, an energetic Australian bulldog.
“He’s a rocket, and perhaps a little more than we bargained for,” Mr Denaro said.
“When Giotto first saw people skateboarding he went berserk* but, after a few more skateboarding encounters, we realised it wasn’t from fear but from fascination.”
The couple grabbed a bargain‑bin Kmart board for the backyard, and Giotto was on it in seconds.
“We then drove to an empty carpark, put the board down and he rode it first go – straight into the gutter,” Mr Denaro laughed.
“Realising kids’ boards aren’t built for paws, I designed a deck matched to Giotto’s shoulder width and body length.”
Since then, the bulldog has become a fixture on four wheels.
Kids from the neighbourhood flock to see him and he has more than 70,000 TikTok followers.
A recent health scare hasn’t slowed the bulldog down, only making his feats* more impressive.
Sydney Animal Hospitals director Sam Haynes said one of Giotto’s eyes had to be removed after a benign* tumour, which was blocking fluid drainage, triggered glaucoma*.
Giotto was back on the board in no time following the procedure.
“His skateboarding is the same, if not better,” Mr Denaro said.
“When you see less danger, there’s less fear. We think he’s the best skating dog in the world. He can ride two or three hours straight.”
WATCH GIOTTO IN ACTION AT BONDI BEACH LAST YEAR
POLL
GLOSSARY
- berserk: wild, crazed, mad, lunatic
- feats: difficult challenges needing a lot of skill, strength and so on to achieve
- benign: when referring to tumours, this means not harmful or cancerous
- glaucoma: a condition causing a build-up of fluid in the eye, which presses on the retina and optic nerve
EXTRA READING
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QUICK QUIZ
- Why did Giotto’s eye have to be removed?
- How many followers does Giotto have on TikTok?
- What is one of the Guinness World Records Giotto might set?
- What did Mr Denaro custom build for Giotto?
- What triggered the glaucoma?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Story of a skateboarding dog
Giotto is a very unique canine – he would make a great main character in a series of adventure books! Set a timer for 15 minutes and brainstorm as many ideas as you can of exciting escapades that Giotto could be involved in on his skateboard that would make good story plots.
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
2. Extension
Choose your best idea from the activity above and write Giotto’s first adventure.
OR
Draw an illustrated version of Giotto in a scene from one of your story ideas.
Time: allow 20-50 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Visual Arts
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read with Kung Fu punctuation
Pair up with the article between you and stand up to make it easy to demonstrate your Kung Fu punctuation.
Practise reading one sentence at a time. Now read it again, while acting out the punctuation as you read.
Read and act three sentences before swapping with your partner.
Take two turns each.
Now ask your partner to read a sentence out loud while you try and act out the punctuation. Can you keep up? Swap over?
Try acting out two sentences – are you laughing yet?