Meet the Golden Steps Family

Behind Golden Steps is our family — two people and five dogs, each with their own personality and part to play.

Ronnie

Originally from Houston, Texas, Ronnie first came to the UK while serving in the US Air Force. He spent four years working as a Mental Health Technician in family advocacy, alcohol and substance misuse services and inpatient mental health care.

After leaving the Air Force, Ronnie decided to make England home. He spent six years working with adults with autism before training as a Mental Health Nurse, qualifying in 2009. After working on an inpatient mental health unit, he joined a Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team in 2012, eventually becoming a Charge Nurse.

But there is another side to Ronnie's story.

When he met Wendy in 2009, she suggested that he move in with her. There was just one problem: she had three dogs. The thought of living with three dogs genuinely panicked him. 😂

Fast-forward to today and there are five of them — and Ronnie wouldn't have it any other way. Wendy introduced him to a love of animals that has become an enormous part of his life, and Brynleigh, his first Golden Retriever, made absolutely certain there was no going back.

Golden Steps brings those two parts of Ronnie's life together: years spent supporting people through difficult times and the happiness, connection and simple pleasure he has discovered through dogs and the outdoors.

Wendy

Animals have been part of Wendy's life for as long as she can remember. At 19, she left the Midlands and moved to Newmarket to work in the horse-racing industry, including time working for Sir Michael Stoute. She continues that connection today through her part-time work with Simcock Racing.

Her lifelong understanding of animals, their individual personalities and the importance of patience has had a huge influence on Golden Steps — and on Ronnie, who credits Wendy with introducing him to the joy of sharing life with animals.

There is, however, one slightly ridiculous Wendy tradition. For as long as anyone can remember, her animals' names have begun with B. Which explains why the current household consists of Brynleigh, Blondie, Butters, Buzz and Buckwheat. At this point, we're probably too far in to stop. 😂

Brynleigh — The One Who Started It All

Brynleigh was Ronnie’s first Golden Retriever and will always have a particularly special place in his heart.

Ronnie collected her as a puppy from a farm near Melton Mowbray with his friend Neil. Brynleigh decided the journey home was the perfect opportunity to make a memorable first impression — by being sick all over Uncle Neil. 😂

Fortunately, relations recovered.

Brynleigh went on to become the beginning of our Golden family. She has an exceptionally affectionate, loving nature and is particularly attached to her human dad. She adores people, enjoys the company of other dogs and has that wonderful Golden Retriever ability to make simply being beside her feel good.

After raising two litters, Brynleigh was retired from breeding. She’d done her bit. These days, she’s much happier concentrating on the important things in life: walks, affection and keeping Dad within easy reach.

Blondie — The Comedian

Blondie is Brynleigh's daughter from our first litter — and life with Blondie is rarely quiet.

We affectionately call her our ADHD dog because she seems to approach life with her accelerator permanently pressed. She's energetic, enthusiastic, incredibly loving and quite possibly the funniest dog in the house.

Give Blondie a fuss once and, as far as she's concerned, you are now friends for life.

She makes us laugh constantly and seems capable of running forever. But underneath all that energy is an extraordinarily affectionate dog who simply loves people, attention and being involved in whatever is happening.

If there's fun to be had, Blondie would very much like to know why nobody has invited her yet.

Butters — Buttery Sweet

Butters came from Brynleigh's second litter.

When she was still tiny, Wendy told Ronnie that Butters was going to grow up to be even sillier and more affectionate than her mum. Ronnie didn't believe that was possible.

Wendy was right.

Her name suits her perfectly. Ronnie regularly tells her just how “buttery sweet” she is.

Butters is a little more reserved when she first meets somebody than some of our other Goldens. She likes to work you out first. But once she decides you're all right, the reserve disappears and she can't get enough affection.

She's also the most solidly built member of the Golden gang — something she inherited from her dad. Don't let that sturdy frame fool you, though. When Butters decides to run, she can seriously move.

Buzz — Wendy's Boy

Buzz is very definitely Wendy's little boy. There's a special bond between the two of them, although he's certainly not going to turn down a good fuss from anyone once he knows you.

Like Butters, Buzz likes to take a little time when meeting somebody new. He can be slightly wary of strangers at first and prefers to watch, get to know you and decide for himself that everything is okay. There's no rush — we let Buzz do things in his own time. Once you've earned his trust, his affectionate side really comes out.

Buzz is probably the most athletic of our Goldens and seems able to run for ages. His football is one of his favourite things in the world — whether he's playing with it or proudly carrying it around with him on his walks.

Buckwheat — Honorary Golden Steps Team Member

And then there's Buckwheat.

Our oldest dog, our only Border Collie and, quite frankly, a bit of a legend.

Ronnie first saw a photograph of Buckwheat in a newspaper. There were plenty of Border Collie puppies much closer to home, but Buckwheat was in Wales and Ronnie simply announced to Wendy:

“I want that one.”

So Wales it was, there and back in a day, to bring our Buckwheat home.

Buckwheat won't normally be joining Golden Steps experiences. He's very much a pack dog and prefers the company of his own family. Other dogs outside his pack generally don't interest him very much, and we're perfectly happy to let Buckwheat be Buckwheat.

But he's the oldest member of our canine family and has been there through the arrival of all those Goldens. There was absolutely no chance we were leaving him off the team page.

So while the others may be out representing Golden Steps, Buckwheat will be our honorary team member from the sidelines — keeping an eye on proceedings and sticking with his pack.