Wherever Doug goes, people do double takes and point.
Next, they smile and wave or give a thumbs up.
Doug has become somewhat of an ambassador for community spirit in Abbotsford, although he had humble beginnings.
He was found slumped beside a dumpster along South Fraser Way last September by a Good Samaritan.
That woman had often joked that her GMC truck ran like a moose, and she said she was going to get a small toy moose to sit on the hood of the vehicle.
Then, she spotted the creature she would dub “Doug” – after the character from the famous Bob and Doug McKenzie TV skits from the 1980s.
Doug the Moose, at about four feet tall and just as wide, was too big for the hood, so the woman – who wants to remain anonymous – propped him on the roof.
Doug was bolted to the roof rack with wires and zap straps. A metal “skeleton” was inserted in his back to ensure perfect posture.
The woman crafted Doug a sign to hold that read “Good day, eh!” As she drove around town, she noticed that Doug seemed to inspire a positive attitude in people.
So she kept him up there.
At Halloween, Doug donned a witch’s costume and a pumpkin candy bucket.
The following month, he sported a big fake mustache in support of “Movember,” and in December, he dressed in Santa attire.
Doug has also supported Vaisakhi and Diwali – celebrated by Abbotsford’s large South Asian population – and just about any other occasion that arises.
He recently carried a “Doug never gets bored” sign to acknowledge that Abbotsford had been nominated as one of the most boring cities in Canada, a designation that was later rescinded.
Next month, he is slated to take part in Abbotsford’s Canada Day parade.
Doug’s caregiver likes to think of him as a mascot for the city, as exemplified in a conversation she had with a man who asked her what she was advertising.
“Nothing,” she replied.
“I get it. You’re advertising a good mood,” he said.
For more about Doug the Moose, visit his Twitter account (@DougTheMoose) and Facebook page (Doug the Moose).
