Boyd Foundation offering $500,000 for dog park grants in Knox County

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Ten Knox County neighborhoods will each receive a $50,000 grant to build a new dog park.

The Boyd Family Foundation, in partnership with the Knox County and City of Knoxville governments, is donating $500,000 for the Knox Neighborhood Dog Parks Plan. Applications will be accepted until June 30. Five neighborhood parks will each be built in Knoxville and the county.

You can nominate your neighborhood online.

“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.”

After nominations are taken a social engagement period will be held July 1-24 where neighorhoods show why they need a dog park using the hashtag #KNDP.

“There is no better place to get to know your neighbors than a neighborhood dog park,” Randy Boyd said. “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.”

According to the Boyd Family Foundation the addition of the 10 dog parks would rank Knox County No. 1 in dog parks per capita in the nation. The county is currently ranked 29th in the nation.

“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,” Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said. “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.”

Randy and Jenny Boyd established The Boyd Foundation in 2018 to support animal welfare and youth education in Tennessee.

LATEST STORIES