Meet the dog that taught himself to skateboard

Australian couple Greg and Dany Denaro bought a bulldog for their “gentle and quiet lifestyle.”

What they ended up with was a “tireless nutcase” who taught himself to skateboard.

Yes, skateboard.

Giotto, a six-year-old Australian bulldog, has made quite a name for himself as the crazy dog that skates around their Sydney neighbourhood.

It’s an obsession and talent his owners didn’t see coming. It all started on his first walk as a puppy, six years ago, when Giotto witnessed some kids skate pass him.

“He was frantic* and was pulling with a strength beyond his size, momentarily surprising us,” Greg Denaro said.

While they initially thought their brand new puppy simply didn’t like the sound of the skateboard, they soon discovered that his manic* reaction meant quite the opposite.

“One of the young boys pushed his board towards Giotto and he immediately jumped on it,” Mr Denaro said. “He started biting it and tried to stand on it. It was clear that this was something that really caught his imagination. His reaction was intense. From then on, he would lunge* towards anyone riding past in an attempt to steal away their skateboards.”

For a laugh, the couple bought their dog a cheap skateboard. They never could have expected what happened next.

“He was immediately taken by it,” Mr Denaro said. “He jumped on it, bit it, pushed it, slept with it, ate with it by his side and would just sit on it.”.

While Giotto did not immediately ride the board, the situation changed three years later when his owners handmade a purpose-built board for their dog.

“His confidence went through the roof,” said Mr Denaro.

It wasn’t long before the dog taught himself to “turn, flip the board over and manoeuvre* around obstacles*.”

“Every day that we went out with him, we would come home even more amazed at his obvious improvement,” he said.

Since then, Giotto has become an internet celebrity, with videos of the dog skating around Sydney racking up millions of views on TikTok and Instagram.

“He loves to show off and often stops and poses when people are standing around him,” Mr Denaro said. “We cannot keep up with him anymore.”

POLL

GLOSSARY

• frantic: beside oneself, usually with big feelings like excitement, panic or anxiety
• manic: extremely elevated and overexcited mood
• lunge: a sudden, forceful forward movement
• manoeuvre: a movement or set of movements needing skill and care
• obstacles: things physical or otherwise getting in the way of progress or movement

EXTRA READING

Wonderdog Winston calms kids in court

Meet Earl, the hardest-working dog in Australia

Magpie Molly makes it home

QUICK QUIZ

1. What dog breed is Giotto?
2. How did it all start with the skateboarding?
3. What did his owners do for a laugh?
4. What did they make by hand for Giotto?
5. It wasn’t long afterwards that Giotto taught himself what skills?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Ask Giotto
If you could interview Giotto for Kids News, what would you ask him? Write at least four questions for Giotto. Then write the answers that you think he would give you.

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

2. Extension
Are there any other sports, games or activities that you think could be adapted for dogs to play? Choose one and describe the changes that could make it dog-friendly.

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Adjectives
An adjective is a describing word. They are often found describing a noun. Start by looking at the words before the nouns.

Search for all the adjectives you can find in the article.

Did you find any repeat adjectives or are they all different?

Extension:
Pick three of your favourite adjectives from the text and put them in your own sentences to show other ways to use them.

Have you used any in your writing?