Photographing weddings is usually what takes me on a drive up to beautiful wine country. But this time, I was headed to Sonoma to photograph the founder of Charlie’s Acres, a non-profit animal sanctuary that takes in farm animals under threat of wildfire, abuse, or destined for the dinner table. But you don’t have to be a vegan to appreciate these intelligent and curious creatures. Personally, this past fall I began a more veggie-forward diet, choosing to eat meat less, and more conscientiously when I do. My reasons for moving towards a more vegetarian diet were initially about improving my health and reducing my carbon footprint on the environment. But when I interacted with the animals up close, it gave me a third and equally important reason to consider eating less meat—animals are amazing! We are distanced from them when we browse the meat aisle at the grocery store. But here I was looking into the eyes of these animals that are often a part of the industrial food system. It was a strong reminder that as humans we share this earth and it’s our responsibility to take care of it and the creatures who cohabitate with us. Tracy Vogt is doing just that with Charlie’s Acres, which she named after her cute Chihuahua (scroll to the end to see her!).

Tracy is the founder of Charlie’s Acres, and is naturally, an animal lover. She rescued dogs and cats when she was growing up, and lived in an agricultural community, but never imagined she would create and run a farm animal sanctuary. She started Charlie’s Acres in late 2016, and her first resident was a pig. There are now many animals at Charlie’s Acres: various breeds of pigs, chickens, cows, sheep, goats, turkeys, and ducks, peacefully living out the rest of their lives, thanks to a very hardworking staff that cares for the animals. Charlie’s Acres offers private tours for those wanting to learn more about the animals, and it’s a great way to get to meet the animals up close. Private tours now come with some safety modification due to the pandemic.

Juno and Jade were former dairy cows that were destined for the slaughterhouse. With the help of protestors and legal proceedings, the two can now live out the rest of their lives on this happy farm. I love their reddish-brown curly locks and sweet faces!

The pigs were going wild for the fresh green grass that the recent winter rain has brought. Did you know that pigs can smell down to 25 feet below the surface of the earth?

Hannah the goat was very happy to get a head scratch, while simultaneously giving Tracy a back scratch! Hannah and her daughter Margaret are Nubian goats, known for their signature (and adorable) floppy ears. The goats, sheep, and chickens all hang out together in the same pen.

Hailing from Oregon, Mitch arrived at Charlie’s Acres when he was younger and had much shorter horns. He is a dexter/ mini longhorn cross and every years his horns have grown longer! He and his buddies were definitely curious about my cameras.

Last but definitely not least, we visited the dog bosses of the farm, Charlie and Millie. These two were super sweet and loved running around the and sniffing all the smells of the farm.

If you’d like to make a donation to help support Charlie’s Acres, you can do so here. And check out their website for great info about their animals and small private tours.

Some of the animal photos here were taken for a photo shoot I worked on with the vegan food company, Renegade Food. They make smoked meats entirely from plants and are a sponsor of Charlie’s Acres.

Interested in some fresh branding photos for your company or non-profit in the Bay Area or Wine Country? Contact Sonya here.