Maverick Chance (better known as “Mav”) has been part of our family since he was just 6 weeks old — and this year, he’ll be turning 10.

His middle name, Chance, comes from the character in Homeward Bound.

(If you’ve seen the movie and then met Mav, you’d instantly understand why that name fits — LOL.)

He’s grown up with us, been there for every milestone, every hard day, and every joyful moment.

He’s not just a pet — he’s our family.

Mav has been right by our side through it all — hiking mountains, camping, and going on countless Alaskan adventures.

He’s got a few odd quirks that make him even more lovable and keep us laughing:

• He has deep respect for cats and moose… but apparently thinks bears are potential playmates.

• He makes it very clear that he’s personally offended by human flatulence.

(We wish we were joking.)

Despite being a big boy (mostly husky), Mav has always been pure love.

Gentle with kids, patient with cats, fiercely affectionate with his family.

He’s all bark and no bite — a true softie who will even climb playgrounds just to make sure his favorite people are safe.

Everyone who meets him — even those who aren’t “dog people” — can’t help but love him.

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What’s Going On:

Recently, Mav developed a sudden, fast-growing mass on his right front leg.

At first, we were hoping it was something simple — maybe a hematoma from a bump or a calcium deposit, which larger dogs sometimes get as they age.

But when we took him to the vet, the news wasn’t what we had hoped for.

The mass was concerning enough that they sent a sample away for testing.

The results came back inconclusive, but there were cells present that could be cancerous.

Because of that uncertainty, we were referred to a specialist in Anchorage for further evaluation.

The specialist explained (in far more technical terms than we can fully remember) that the safest and best next step is to surgically remove the mass and send it out for detailed testing.

This way, we can remove the risk and, hopefully, get the answers we need.

If it’s not cancerous, Mav will be able to heal and continue living his best life of adventures, naps, and love.

If it is… we’re praying every day that it isn’t.

The estimated cost for the surgery is between $5,000 and $6,000, and we’ve included a photo of the estimate for full transparency.

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How You Can Help:

Mav has given us nothing but love, laughter, and loyalty for almost 10 years — and we want to do everything we can to give him the best care in return.

Any donation, no matter the size, helps us move closer to giving him a fighting chance.

Even sharing his story means more than you know.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being part of Mav’s story.

He’s our family — and we are so grateful for any help in giving him many more years of love, adventures, and muddy paws… which happens quite frequently during the summer