Smithville’s new dog park is one step closer to becoming a reality and will possibly be ready for your four-legged K9 friends to use before the end of this year. The dog park will be located on property owned by the City of Smithville near the animal shelter behind Tenneco Automotive.

Harrison Forbes, a representative for Randy Boyd of the Boyd Foundation, presented a $25,000 check to City Mayor Josh Miller and Alderman Gayla Colvert Friday morning in front of City Hall. Several pooches were on hand for the happy presentation, along with their humans. Appropriate music was played, including “Who let the dogs out” during the assembly.

The grant comes after Smithville was chosen as one of seven areas in the Middle Tennessee region to receive funds. A total of 30 winners throughout Tennessee were chosen for grants during the 2019 program.

The Tennessee Dog Park Dash is a multi-year initiative aimed at making Tennessee the most pet-friendly state in the country by awarding deserving communities $3 million in total grants over three years to build and enhance dog parks.