SPL LIVING
Going to the Dogs BY MARCIA BIGGS
Blu, St. Pete. Marina
A new coffee table book pays tribute to St. Pete’s pooches – and the city’s art and history BY MARCIA BIGGS Ready for your close-up, my pretty? It won’t be long before 46 fourlegged friends make their debut in the full-color “Dogs of the Burg,” a 158-page coffee table book that is an amusing homage to St. Pete’s pampered pets. But the canines won’t be the only stars of this book. The historic places, art murals and dog-friendly social spots of St. Pete are uncovered in each of the 39 locations featured, making this one captivating walk around the ‘Burg. Due to be available soon, “Dogs of the Burg” is the creative dreamchild of photographers Laurie Elmer and Knicki Lucrezi. The duo has been creating fine art pet photography from their Urban Dog Studio in Pinellas Park since 2019. An established freelance pet photographer, Elmer’s photos have been published in national calendars, web sites, Dog Fancy and other pet publications. Lucrezi’s background is in portrait photography.
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StPeteLifeMag.com
May/June 2021
The dogs that appear were solicited via social media with owners paying a small fee for the photo shoot, said Elmer. A portion of the revenue from sales of the book will go to Fluff Animal Rescue based in Seminole. Why this book now? “I’m a St. Pete native,” says Elmer. “I love the history of St. Pete and have seen it through its ups and downs. So I was excited to see the rebirth of the city and the renaissance of the arts scene. And I love dogs. We are becoming known as a dog-friendly town, such a wonderful walkable city where most places welcome dogs. But a lot of people aren’t aware of the city’s rich history. “Our goal was to photograph each dog in a different location in St. Pete, then include information on the history of that location. …
