Thomas George Estates: Where dogs run free, and are treated like “persons”
- FAAS staff
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Winery owner Tom Baker provides Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter with all the delectable wine for our signature gala, After the Ball. We met up with him and his dog FreeMo recently at Thomas George Estates to take a deeper look at his love of dogs.
A yellow Lab ambles out of the wine cave at Thomas George Estates in Healdsburg. He pauses for a minute to take in the scents, and trots toward the vineyards. He seems to be smiling. The cave’s barrel-lined coolness was welcome on this warm day, but there’s more to discover.
At this world-class, 65-acre winery, dogs are invited to roam off-leash. The visiting Labrador, Gus, does so with glee, snortling around vines, and eventually walking into the tasting room, where he’s regaled with treats and fresh water.
“From the beginning, I set ground rules,” says owner Tom Baker. “Dogs are always welcome. My instruction to the staff is: Every dog is welcome. And if the dogs wish, they could bring their people.”
“We don’t care about leg lifts,” Tom says. “One of the important principles here is we want everyone to come here and be relaxed. The entire winery is fenced. Dogs just run free. Period.”
Tom’s passion for dogs runs deep. He grew up with dogs in a small community in Canada’s Ottawa Valley, and has been adopting them for decades. Rather, as he puts it, they’ve been adopting him.
The dog who adopted him most recently is Martin. Tom and his wife, Stephanie, rescued Martin from St. Martin in January.
The super smart Belgian Malinois-Chihuahua street/beach dog visited them every day during their time there. They fell in love with him. Martin turned out to have advanced heartworm. They got him the treatment he needed, and he joined his older-if-smaller “brother,” FreeMo, the winery’s beloved defacto ambassador.
On this pleasant afternoon, the curly-haired dark gray Maltipoo mix relaxes in Tom’s arms as Tom and a guest enjoy a house-made pizza with a bottle of 2021Albariño named after Luna, a pittie mix whose photo graces the back of the bottle. (All single-block wines here are named after family dogs.)
FreeMo spots some visitors, and hops down to give them a wagging welcome. “He is the friendliest, most socialized person I know,” he says, beaming at his dog. “He thinks all people and dogs are here to see him.”
FreeMo has traveled the world with Tom and Stephanie – zipping through Marrakesh on a motorcycle, dune buggying in the Sahara, and reposing on comfy trains through Europe. When he sees his travel bag, he wriggles himself in and settles in for whatever adventure lies ahead.
“He’s been a lot of places and smelled a lot of smells,” Tom says. “Dogs are family, and we’re really grateful he can travel with us like this.”
“Every dog is a person.”
Tom has strong feelings and philosophies about dogs, and he’s happy to share them with other dog lovers.
“In my world, humans are two categories. Ninety-nine percent are people. A handful are persons. But every dog is a person,” he says. “Every single dog. I just think they are the best species.
“I really believe dogs were invented to give people the opportunity to be persons. Unfortunately, so many miss this opportunity.”
He sits back, sips the chilled wine, and continues. His thoughts on dogs spring effortlessly.
“You want a guide for life, someone to show you how to find happiness, look at your dog.”
“Dogs are the greatest judge of character in existence. They know. Animals know.”
Dogs have been the throughline in Tom’s life – companions, confidants, family. “It’s beyond me to understate how any human can mistreat animals,” he says. “Dogs only want to love and be loved.”
He says he donates wine to FAAS because he appreciates how the organization goes all out to help the animals in our care.
“John and the whole crew are dedicated to helping the best persons in the world,” he says. “We’re fully behind FAAS and happy to help in whatever way we can.”
A dog barks. It’s Tom’s phone, with FreeMo’s bark as his ringtone.
The woofing wakes Gus up from a sunny nap. Gus stretches, and heads over to Tom to see what the noise is all about. FreeMo joins him. They stand on each side of Tom, who grins at being flanked by them.
“These are two really great persons,” he says, petting them in tandem. He lets the call goes to voicemail.
8075 Westside Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Open 11 am to 5 pm Thursday through Monday
707-431-8031
After the Ball 2025 will take place Saturday, October 18, at the Albert H. DeWitt Officers' Club, 641 W Red Line Ave, Alameda. Tickets go on sale soon!
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