By Pete Thomas/GrindTv
The problem with most “surfing dog” or “skateboarding dog” videos is that they feature pooches merely riding on boards after being placed on them by their owners.
Bamboo is different. He’s able to climb onto the skateboard by himself, propel himself using his hind legs, and even steer in a subtle manner.
Probably not X Games material, but remarkable in his own right.
Mike Bolaris, Bamboo’s owner and skate partner, uploaded the accompanying footage to YouTube in September, but it began to circulate on social media sites this week.
Bolaris said via email that Bamboo is a rescue dog, part of a litter born in the desert near San Bernardino, California. The mom was a stray black lab and the father's identity is unknown. Bolaris adopted Bamboo when he was 8 weeks old from Labradorsandfriends.org.
The dog seemed to take to the skateboarding lifestyle, which is so prevalent where Bolaris lives in North San Diego County.
“Some days I’d skateboard on our morning walk so Bamboo could get a little extra exercise before I had to work,” Bolaris explained. “One day, I let him try rolling down a very small hill and he liked it.
"After that, on our morning walks, I’d give him an opportunity to try the skateboard for a few minutes and he figured out how to push and steer the board all on his own.”
Portions of the footage show Bamboo using his hind legs to run and gain speed when the board slows down, and steering slowly around cones in the parking lot at Seaside Beach.
“All I did was make it safe and encourage him with praise and a few treats,” Bolaris said. “After a couple of months he could skate all over town and I was tired of having to run alongside him, so I bought him his own Carver [skateboard].
"With two boards we started playing a game in the Seaside parking lot where he’d follow me on his board and get a treat when he catches me.”
Maybe Bamboo is X Games material, after all.
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