In 1963, John Kirkpatrick began to take a renewed interest in the Oklahoma City Zoo. A founding member of Friends of the Zoo, now known as the Oklahoma Zoological Society, John was a driving force behind the zoo's development from a small-town menagerie into a world-class zoological park. It was an extensive invesstment of time and energy, combined with significant funding from the Kirkpatrick Foundation, that made this transformation possible.

The Kirkpatrick Foundation’s heightened focus on animal concerns was initiated by Joan Kirkpatrick and continues today with grants to organizations large and small. Joan’s passion for animals was made clear by her instrumental role in strengthening the quality of care for all animals, exotic and household, in central Oklahoma.

Joan, who passed away in 2009, helped provide the Oklahoma City Zoo with state-of-the-art equipment and an accredited veterinary residency program. She also steered investments to the Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences for improved learning space and new equipment.

In 2010, the foundation’s dedication to animals continued in veterinary training, no-kill shelters, and search-and-rescue operations. Continuing a longstanding relationship, the foundation also partnered with Morris Animal Foundation of Denver to provide a veterinary research residency/PhD program at OSU-CVHS.

Also in 2010, the Kirkpatrick Foundation granted $15,000 to the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. This grant was used to train five Oklahoma City Fire Department dogs— all Labrador Retrievers— and their handlers. Oklahoma City’s teams are DHS/FEMA-certified and take part in ongoing training to maintain excellence and sharpness in their work. Deployed internationally to disaster zones, these teams traveled to Japan for search-and-rescue efforts immediately following the March 2011 earthquake and to Joplin, Missouri, following the May 2011 tornado.

Foundation trustee Joe Howell, DVM, praises the search dog effort. “I have met a number of these teams, and I feel that they illustrated the importance of the human-animal bond,” he says. “There’s interdependence, and the handler and dog have a great relationship. It’s expensive to identify and train these animals, but when we call on them in our hour of need, they are truly priceless.”

Bill Monahan, a fire captain in Los Angeles, wrote to Kirkpatrick Foundation program officer Paulette Black in April 2011. “Every week when we’re training on the rubble pile, and each time we deploy, it means so much to us knowing that you are behind us, making our work possible.”