He's just a bulldog with stubby legs, but that hasn't prevented Bazooka from becoming Japan's top, and probably only, skateboarding dog.
Demonstrating that every dog has his day, the 2-year-old purebred Old English Bulldog rolled down a Tokyo park on Monday, pushing his board with his hind feet and shifting his weight on all four to steer, just like two-legged riders.
It was love at first sight between the dog and his board, says Bazooka's owner, Yoshio Ishikawa.
"When he was 5 months old, he saw someone skateboarding in the street, and that must have switched him on," Ishikawa, who designs canine clothing, told Reuters. "After that, it was 'I wanna skate!' "
While he has yet to learn 180-degree-turns and kickflips, Bazooka appears very comfortable on his board, relishing the attention he gets from humans and other dogs.
Ishikawa has boards custom-made, ensuring that they have no toxic varnishes and are of an appropriate length.
And Bazooka expresses his appreciation in the way most dogs know how — he chews his boards to shreds.
"He bites and just keeps gnawing on them, so we're actually on our 15th custom-made board as of now," Ishikawa said.