CENTRE COUNTY — There is yoga and then there is yoga with a goat climbing onto your back.
At Red Dog Ranch, the latter comes with plenty of laughter.
“So much laughter from adults,” co-owner Mattie Yacka said. “I feel like adults don’t laugh as much anymore because you get tied up in work and life. But then people come here and the goats start running under their legs, jumping on their back and people just can’t stop laughing.”
That laughter has become part of the experience at Red Dog Ranch, a first generation family-owned farm started by Mattie and Andrew Yacka, who recently moved to Centre County from Chester County.
The couple had long dreamed of owning a larger farm. In Chester County, they had a roughly 3-acre homestead with gardens and goats, but wanted room to grow.
Their search eventually brought them back to an area they already knew well. Both attended Penn State.
Mattie said the family began exploring Centre County about two and a half years ago. Then, while driving home from a football game last fall, they spotted a sign advertising a farm of more than 30 acres along Route 322.
The couple, traveling in separate vehicles, had the same thought.
“Andrew called me, and he’s like, ‘Did you see that?’” Mattie recalled.
They turned around.
Their realtor met them at the property within about 30 minutes.
“We were just like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is it. We love it,’” Mattie said.
The larger property gave the family an opportunity to expand its homesteading efforts, including gardens, livestock and eventually hoping to add events, a farm stand and other community offerings.
And then there is goat yoga.
The Yackas had seen the idea elsewhere and realized there were not many opportunities to experience it locally.
“It’s kind of an oddball thing,” Andrew said. “Even when they come here for the first time, they’re a little uncertain about, like, what’s going to go on. And then by the end of it, they’re like, ‘This is awesome. I’m in love with your baby goats.’”
Classes are taught by professional yoga instructor Jill Wood. Participants begin with yoga before the goats join them.
That entrance is a family affair.
The Yackas’ children help bring the goats down the hill for class. The animals receive treats and, being natural climbers, need little encouragement once people are on their hands and knees or lying down.
“They’re just naturally wanting to jump on you,” Andrew said.
Before the goats arrive, Andrew said, the yoga can be relaxing. Afterward, things become considerably more entertaining.
“They just enjoy interacting with them and getting pictures,” he said.
Mattie said the ranch has also become special for their children. Their daughter regularly asks whether it is a “goat yoga day” and counts down the hours until class. She spends time with the goats every day, petting and cuddling them.
For the Yackas, however, goat yoga is only the beginning.
Andrew said the long-term vision is to make Red Dog Ranch a place that offers more to the community, including events, farm-to-table dinners and potentially a wellness space utilizing the barn and property.
The family also hopes to expand its gardens, offer cut flowers and produce and eventually establish a self-service farm stand operating on the honor system.
Even the Red Dog Ranch name tells part of the family’s story.
The Yackas own red heelers, and Andrew also operates Red Dog Construction. Their dog Cheyenne serves as the inspiration for the logos of both businesses.
“We just wanted to keep the same common thread,” Mattie said, “because we love our cattle dogs.”
For now, though, the goats are getting plenty of the attention.
And if visitors arrive unsure what to expect, the Yackas have learned that it usually does not take long before the goats take over and the laughter begins.
For more information about Red Dog Ranch or to register for an upcoming class, visit reddogranchpa.com or follow Red Dog Ranch PA on Facebook and Instagram. The ranch’s next goat yoga event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 17 and will feature sunset goat yoga on the family’s 33-acre ranch.
