High-Tech Moves to the Country

We are animal lovers and outdoor enthusiasts who spent many years in Silicon Valley high-tech careers while building our future for living in the country. We developed 60 acres into our dream ranch in northern California's gold country, and now enjoy sharing our dog-friendly farm stay with others wanting to getaway and re-connect with nature.

» Read more about Cyndi & Troy

Blog Articles

Many of our Dog & Pony Ranch guests tell us they've been inspired hearing our journey from Bay Area high-tech to rural ranch living, especially our animal experiences. So we'll be putting more of our stories and learnings in blog format to reach a wider audience of animal lovers.

We've been inspired by many of our guests as well, and blogs are a great way to share in a 2-way conversation so hope you'll join in with your experiences. Let us know what you want to hear about!

Exploring the Gold Country

There are many great places to explore in Amador County and we make it a point to check them out for our guests (such a sacrifice!). We list info including dog-friendly options on our Local Favorites pages for Ranch guests. Our blog posts include more photos and insider information about what you can expect to find at special places in the gold country.

Sutter Creek Farmer's Markets There are many farms with fresh items and crafts. Find our more about our local offering during summer season.
Snow Play in the Sierras This is a popular resource during the winter months.

Ranch Info

Farm-stay guests should refer to our top nav web pages for visit details including an FAQ. These blog articles go beyond our lodging info with our learnings and experiences in ranch living.

Construction story We get many questions about building our 60-acre ranch with well, septic, power, barn,multi-phase house, etc. It's flattering when we hear that we've inspired others to tackle a new project or build their own dream ranch. The photos make it look easy but there were many challenges along the way too.
Scavenger Hunt A fun activity to do with the kids while enjoying the Ranch -- get to know the flora and fauna in our Sierra foothills.

Barn Animals

Pasture-raised chickens' egg collection at the Dog & Pony Ranch

Building on decades of experience with dogs and horses, we've had lots of fun adding other animals (llamas, heifers, mini donkeys, and chickens) and learning about them -- each species and individual is so unique and special!

Farm Animal Idioms Many English sayings have their basis in farm life. Here are favorite sayings and stories from observing our barn animals over the years ...
Pasture-Raised Chickens The chickens have probably been our biggest surprise with how much we enjoy these hard-working girls who give us yummy eggs, do excellent bug-control in the pastures, and make people laugh with their waddle-runs. Read more...

It's a Dog's Life

Cody canine host at the Dog and Pony Ranch

Our dogs are our kids and we've learned a lot from them while enjoying dog-related activities over the years. We've volunteered in rescue and fostered special dogs of various breeds. Our black Lab, Torri, had an affinity for seniors so I enjoyed years of pet-therapy visits with her. Our athletic little yellow Lab, Hannah, did dock-diving and agility so you'll see her legacy with these toys at the Ranch. And of course we traveled many places with our dogs, so stay-tuned for more dog-related articles on these topics.

Cody's corner Cody is our 6th Lab and his personality is ideally suited for his canine host role. Find out more about Cody...