KNOXVILLE, Tenn — Want a dog park in your neighborhood?
Thanks to a grant from the Boyd Family Foundation through a partnership with Knoxville and Knox County, residents can nominate their neighborhood for one of ten $50,000 grants to build one.
Five city and five county neighborhoods will be selected. The neighborhoods must meet certain criteria to be eligible. That information and the application process is here. The deadline to apply is June 30.
The nomination period will be followed by a social engagement period from July 1st - 24th where neighborhoods are encouraged to show why they need a dog park on social media using the #KNDP.
“There is no better place to get to know your neighbors than a neighborhood dog park,” said Randy Boyd, of the Boyd Family Foundation. “Dog parks bring people and pets together from all different backgrounds and walks of life. We are honored to make Knox County and Knoxville the Most Pet Friendly Community in America.”
Adding these 10 dog parks will make Knox County number one in dog parks per capita in the United States. Right now, we're ranked 29th.
“Most of Knox County's state of the art dog parks exist because of the generosity Randy Boyd has shown this community for more than a decade,” said Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. “It has long been a priority to ensure Knox County is a pet-friendly community. As a pet owner myself, I know these new park additions will move us even further down the path to becoming one of the most pet-friendly places in America.”
“This is a generous gift from the Boyd Family Foundation, and my dog Bobo and I are excited to see more new dog parks soon to be built at the neighborhood level,” Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said. “I encourage residents to share ideas and work together toward adding a wonderful new amenity and gathering place in their neighborhood.”
