Islanders overjoyed as canine celebrity fights back from sickness, returns to local store
For six days last week, a Great Pyrenees-sized void sat conspicuously empty in Coligny Hardware and Beach Supplies, a loss felt acutely by store regulars and owner Beth Castelli.
On Nov. 2, the store’s mascot and beloved celebrity pooch, Maverick, suddenly took on a high fever. Castelli said the nearly 9-year-old pup was reluctant to eat or drink during his time in ICU and lost 10 pounds fighting the sickness.
“I was really afraid that I would not ever have him back with me again,” Castelli said.
Hundreds of local islanders and vacationers from across the country have grown to love Maverick, the store’s lone PR employee since 2014, according to Castelli. Fans shared their support on Maverick’s social media pages, anxiously awaiting the regular updates Castelli provided during his illness.
Maverick was diagnosed with IMPA, or immune-mediated polyarthritis. The autoimmune disorder will remain with the dog for the rest of his life, Castelli said, but it is treatable with medication.
Maverick has made a full recovery and was back in the store Saturday, greeting customers and singing along to Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect,” one of about 30 songs Castelli said he knows by heart.
The return of an ‘icon’
To people from Hilton Head to Virginia and all the way to Michigan, Maverick has become synonymous with a vacation to the island.
“Every year when we go, that is our tradition — we have to go see Maverick,” said Tammy Connor, a Virginia resident. “The day that Beth posted that he was sick, I told my husband and he knew exactly who I was talking about … I was actually going to send him a get well card.”
Word spread quickly online after Castelli announced Maverick’s health issue. Loree Thomas, an Ohio resident, said she first heard about it from a friend’s daughter, who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“(I was) very concerned, because at 8 years old, Maverick is an icon,” Thomas said. “Everybody who walks in that store, if they don’t know him, it’s kind of surprising.”
Michigan resident Jenny Keech said her mother was visiting Hilton Head Island when Maverick’s illness began to show. She’d noticed Maverick was acting “a little funny” when she visited the store, and when Castelli shared news of Maverick’s hospital stay, Keech decided to start a GoFundMe page to pay for Maverick’s bills.
“We were the ones who took that initiative, because I know that Beth would never ask for help, she’s just so wonderful like that,” Keech said. “The response that Maverick gets from people and families that visit the island, he’s definitely an icon.”
The GoFundMe has raised around $5,000 of its $30,000 goal.
Continuing a legacy
Maverick isn’t the first canine mascot for Castelli’s store, she said, but has filled the role better than she ever expected.
Maverick’s predecessor, Jake, died of mast cell cancer in 2014. Castelli sells White Dog Trading Company merchandise in his honor to this day, with some proceeds donated to researching cancer in pets.
“I told God I wouldn’t have another dog after,” Castelli said. “God said, ‘Thank you for letting me know, but here’s your puppy.’”
The new face of White Dog came to Castelli at 9 months old, adopted from a sailor who was leaving for deployment with the Navy.
Maverick takes his name from the high-flying fictional Top Gun pilot Lt. Pete Mitchell. While he doesn’t share his namesake’s lust for adrenaline or reckless nature, Maverick’s laid-back nature and gentle presence has led to its own kind of fame.
“Maverick walked right in the first time (he came to the store) and was the most well-behaved dog,” said Thomas, who has frequented the store since Jake’s tenure as mascot. “He’s filled in the shoes of Jake … he’s like the number one store employee — it’s not Beth’s store, it’s his store.”
Since his condition will remain treatable, Castelli said she’s hopeful Maverick will remain hard at work as the store’s public relations professional for years to come.
“He’s a good, good PR guy. I cannot imagine my world without him,” Castelli said. “He’s my best buddy in the world, and I’m so thankful that I’ve got more time with him.”
This story was originally published November 12, 2022 at 1:56 PM.
