Maryanne Pagonis decided to leave Best Friends Animal Society an unrestricted gift in her will after the organization cared for Rosie, the dog she adopted at its sanctuary. Her story, published by Best Friends on June 9, 2023, traces that decision to grief, a chance meeting while volunteering, and gratitude for the care Rosie received.
How Maryanne met Rosie
After retiring in 2019, Pagonis traveled from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. She had spent 20 years as senior vice president of the Better Business Bureau in Charlotte and was grieving the loss of her dog Maggie.
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During her visit, Pagonis went to Angels Rest, which the Best Friends feature describes as the final resting place for pets of the organization’s staff and members. She asked Maggie to help her find another pet: “I was looking for some type of relief in my sorrow and devastation,” says Maryanne. “So I asked Maggie if she could please help me find another pet.”
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The next day, while volunteering at Dogtown, Pagonis met Rosie, a large, fluffy dog who had been there for three years. Pagonis recalled running toward her: “I ran singing to her,” says Maryanne. “I felt as if my heart had opened and I’d been saved by this four-footed furry ball of fluff — as if Maggie had whispered in Rosie’s ear, ‘There’s your mom, the one you’ve been waiting for.’”
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Why she changed her will
Pagonis said the care Best Friends gave Rosie was central to her decision to include the organization in her will. “To have nourished her, loved her, to have held her for me until I finally got there — Best Friends didn’t just save Rosie, Best Friends saved me,” says Maryanne Pagonis. “That’s why I decided to change my will. I want to give to Best Friends what Best Friends has given to me.”
The 2023 profile describes the planned gift as unrestricted. Matt Claflin, then identified as Best Friends’ planned giving manager, said that means the organization can direct the resources to its biggest and most urgent need when the gift arrives: “Maryanne’s unrestricted gift is as good as it gets,” says Matt Claflin, planned giving manager for Best Friends. “It will allow Best Friends to deploy lifesaving resources the minute it arrives for whatever the biggest and most urgent need is.”
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The feature does not disclose the gift amount, the share of Pagonis’s estate involved, or the specific legal language used. It is a nonprofit’s donor profile, not independent reporting or legal advice.
Her promise to Rosie
At the time of the 2023 feature, Pagonis described Rosie as aging and experiencing health difficulties. She said she used a stroller to wheel Rosie and told others about Best Friends. Those details reflect the account published in 2023 and should not be taken as an update on Rosie’s present circumstances.
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Pagonis also expressed confidence that Rosie would have a home at Best Friends if she died first: “I tell everyone about Best Friends and ask them to please give. And if by some chance I go before Rosie, I know that she will always have a home at Best Friends, a place that will love her in the way I would love her. How wonderful is that?”
Read the Best Friends Animal Society feature, published June 9, 2023.
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