Board-riding dog's on a roll
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Rodrigo Lomboy of Kailua and his dog Kaliki enjoy skateboarding, but only one of them actually rides the skateboard.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
And it isn't Lomboy, 42. He admits "I dunno how."
Rodrigo Lomboy takes Kaliki for a ride, using a stick to move the skateboard while the dog hangs on for 30 to 50 feet. Lomboy says Kaliki was inspired by watching his sons.
Lomboy uses a stick to power the skateboard for his dog, a 1 1/2-year-old Pomeranian-Lhasa apso.
Kaliki was about 6 months old when he started riding skateboards, says Lomboy.
The dog would watch Lomboys' sons — Arden, 11, and Daren, 9 — skateboarding in the garage area of their Keolu Hills home and try to climb onto the skateboard when it was unoccupied. "He wasn't scared to stay on, so I let him try," Lomboy said.
Kaliki's rides last about 30 to 50 feet. He's rewarded with food after every effort.
The skateboarding stopped for about a year when Lomboy, wife Edna, their two sons and their four Pomeranian-Lhasa apsos moved from their Kanapu'u Drive home to another house in the same area. When Kaliki started skateboarding again, he hadn't lost his touch, said Lomboy, who takes Kaliki skateboarding three to five times a week.
Kaliki has a sister named Mele — as in mele Kalikimaka. Both of those dogs joined the Lomboy household at Christmas time.
The two other dogs were acquired in February; their names are Val and Tina.
Only Kaliki, however, can do something more than common dog tricks, said Lomboy.
And where else would a dog smart enough to ride a skateboard live but on Akamai Street.
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
