Our people
Who we are.
The people behind the promise, and the belief that unites them.
Our mission
Helping dogs, and the people who save them.
The Duke & Oliver Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping dogs and the people who save them. We support rescue groups with emergency needs, first responders with safety supplies, and K-9 officers with tactical gear. We also step in when rescuers' own dogs face unexpected emergencies, because those who spend their lives saving others deserve support too.
The board
Meet the team.
Our Board of Directors is made up of individuals from diverse professional and personal backgrounds, united by a shared passion for dogs. Each brings unique experience, perspective, and skills, but all are bound by the same belief: that every dog deserves safety, love, and a chance at a better life.
Christy Howard
Co-Founder
Christy's love for animal rescue began as a young teenager volunteering with Living Free Animal Sanctuary in Southern California. That early experience sparked a lifelong passion for helping animals in need, eventually leading to decades of fostering, rescue work, and the creation of The Duke & Oliver Foundation. Today, she continues the promise she made to Duke: to always find a way to do good in his name.
Shelley Levitz
Co-Founder
Shelley's passion for animal rescue began after losing Oliver. Christy's deep involvement in rescue introduced me to the rescue world and brought me several rescued English Mastiffs soon after losing Oliver to my house fire. I became a devoted and passionate rescuer as a result of the tragedy. The rescue dogs continue to rescue me as much we rescue them.
Christine Watson
Director
Christine is a licensed veterinary technician and lifelong animal advocate. She has rescued and loved many dogs of all sizes, from sweet little Bandit and Polly to big, beautiful Harper, her first rescued English mastiff. Her world now revolves around her spicy Honey Bun, who survived living in wild for months before being rescued. Christine leads the D&O Foundation's Protecting the Protectors program coordinating the donations of canine officer tactical gear.
Dr. Joanne Franks
Director
Joanne decided to be a veterinarian when she was 5 years old, and always had many pets - dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish, iguanas, snakes, and a pet goose. In veterinary school, she found a passion and aptitude for the science and skills of surgery, and went on to become a board certified veterinary surgeon. Since then, she has dedicated her professional life to treating surgical diseases in dogs and cats, having an amazingly challenging and satisfying career. She met the rest of this wonderful D&O board through caring for their dogs! All of Joanne’s family pets are rescues, and her heeler, Cookie, is in charge.
Dawn Cook
Director
For over twenty years Dawn has been a rescue mom and foster mom. For years you could find Dawn driving all over the state (and Oklahoma) transporting dogs to safety. With her calm demeaner she gained the trust of many of the fearful dogs she transported. Dawn has a special place in her heart for the giants.
Heather Stroh
Director
Heather is a lifelong animal lover with a deep compassion for dogs. Her passion for rescue began in 2008, when her husband brought home a dog he had found abandoned near Ranger, Texas. Since then, Heather has fostered countless dogs and helped them find the loving forever families they deserve. Heather makes a special promise to every foster who enters her home: if they ever need a safe place, they will always be welcomed back with open arms, loved unconditionally, and spoiled rotten.