Randy Boyd, CEO of PetSafe, was the recipient of the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association (TRPA) Individual Service Award.

"I can't think of anyone more deserving of this award than Randy Boyd who has given so much back to the community, particularly to our parks," said Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam. "His contributions have made it possible for us to develop dog parks in both the city and county that are making a lot of pet owners very happy."

Boyd has started an initiative to make Knoxville the "Most Pet Friendly Community" in the country. He chairs a committee of the same title, which helped to push the "Dogs on patios" permit to pass in Knoxville, making it legal for diners to bring along their dogs when outdoor dining.

He also committed $500,000 toward building five new dog parks in Knoxville and Knox County. With the help of that contribution, the City of Knoxville opened the PetSafe Downtown Dog Park in June 2010.

"It was something Downtown Knoxville needed, but without PetSafe's partnership it may not have been built," said Joe Walsh, Knoxville Parks and Recreation Director. "Randy's commitment is a major part of why we have the Downtown Dog Park today."

From the same PetSafe contribution, Knox County has built a dog park in Tommy Schumpert Park and has already broken ground on a new dog park in Concord Park.

"Randy Boyd's generous contribution allowed us to build one of the largest dog parks in the state at Tommy Schumpert Park, and we have just started construction on the Pet Safe dog park at Concord Park," said Doug Bataille, Knox County Parks and Recreation Director. "His support of our parks benefits everyone in the area, whether you are a pet owner or not."

"It's because of his conscientious efforts that we nominated Randy for the state's Individual Service Award," said Walsh. "Obviously the state agrees that he was a well-deserving contender."

For more information on City dog parks, please visit www.cityofknoxville.org/recreation