Smithville Wins $25,000 Grant Through Dog Park Dash

The City of Smithville will use a $25,000 grant through The Boyd Foundation to construct a new dog park.

Alderwoman Gayla Hendrix said the dog park will provide a great benefit to the community on multiple levels.

“One, it provides a healthy place for pets to play… and run free in a protected environment,” Hendrix said. “It creates healthy people because walking your dog and playing with your dog is exercise which lowers your blood pressure, and it helps to bring communities together.”

Officials will look into using land adjacent to the Smithville animal shelter to construct the dog park.

Hendrix said she wanted the city to pursue the project in order to provide pet owners a place to play with their animals.

“We don’t really have a place for pets, dogs, and dog owners to play and run free in our community,” Hendrix said. “The only park we have in our city is mostly for children and families, so they don’t allow dogs. Most people have to walk them on the sidewalk, in their yards, or around their neighborhood.”

Smithville was one of 30 total communities across the state selected by The Boyd Foundation to receive grant funding for a new dog park. The funding was provided through the foundation’s Dog Park Dash in which communities competed to receive the $100,000 grand prize.