A veterinary surgeon from the University of Milan, he has been practising as a private practitioner since 1988 in his own clinic in Palazzolo sull'Oglio (BS). Over the years, Dr Maffi has directed his professional interests towards the medicine of sporting and working dogs, taking a particular interest in dogs involved in dog sledding and cani-cross. After permanent recognition of his degree in Scandinavian countries (Norway 2010; Sweden 2011) and temporarily in Alaska (2013), Dr. Maffi has dedicated himself as Chief Vet or Race Vet to the management of the welfare and health of dogs engaged in long-distance dog sledding competitions, becoming from 2010 to today the only Italian Veterinarian responsible for the organization of the veterinary teams operating in international competitions in Norway ("Bergebyløpet N70", a 650 km race, the only race in the world to be held entirely beyond the Arctic Circle) and in Sweden ('Polardistans', a 300 km race reserved for dogs of FCI-recognized Nordic breeds, and 'Vildmarksracet', a 120 km race, tackled by many mushers as their first introduction to long-distance competitions). His passion for sled dogs has also led Dr Maffi to work in other international dog sledding competitions, working as a Race Vet in both North American competitions ("Yukon Quest" - 1600 km in the Yukon Territory, Canada and Alaska, USA; "Hudson Bay Quest" - 500 km in Manitoba, Canada; "Race to the Sky" - 500 km in Montana, USA) as well as in European competitions, including 10 editions of "Finnmarksløpet" (Europe's longest 1,200 km race), 7 editions of "Femundløpet" (650 km race that, with more than 150 teams of 8 or 12 dogs registered each year, is the world's most popular long-distance dog sledding competition) and in numerous editions of other races, such as "Amundsen Race", "Beaver Trap Trail", "Spain Long Distance", etc. Dr. Maffi has also served (as Chief Vet, Race Vet, Veterinarian of national teams or as Anti-Doping Commissioner) in national, European or world championships for some of the various federations and organizations that govern these dog activities on snow or on land (IFSS, WSA, ICF, FISTEC, FIDASC, CSEN), as well as in international competitions, both sprint and long-distance, sleddog and canicross, in European countries (France, Great Britain Spain, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Latvia, Iceland) and outside Europe (Canada, USA, South Africa). Author of papers at national and international congresses dedicated to sled dogs, Dr. Maffi is a member of the Board of Directors of ISDVMA (International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association), a member of "Mush with Pride", a founding member and Past Vice-President of AIM (Italian Mushers Association), a founding member and member of the Board of Directors of AIVSeC (Italian Association of Veterinary Sleddogs and Canicrosses) and AMeSVI (Italian Veterinary Medical Sports Association). Among other activities in the veterinary field, Dr Maffi also regularly follows greyhound coursing competitions, agility competitions and sports events, and search and rescue activities. Dr Maffi has also taken part as a volunteer surgeon in numerous 'catch/spay/vaccinate/release' campaigns for stray dogs in Ladakh and Sikkim (India), South Africa, Romania and Spain.