Top 10 Canadian Groomers for the 2025 Term
Nadia Bongelli - 1st Place (101 Points)
Nadia Bongelli brings over 15 years of professional pet grooming experience from Toronto Canada, where her journey began with her Miniature Poodle, Juno, and a passion for competitive grooming. By 2015, she was a regular competitor across Canada and the U.S., earning prestigious accolades such as Barkleigh Honors’ “Up and Coming Groomer of the Year”, “International Speaker of the Year”, and “Groomer of the Year”. As Canada’s top-ranked competitive groomer since 2018, her career highlights include winning the SuperZoo SuperJackpot twice, earning top placements at Belgium’s Groomania Competition, and securing a Silver Medal with Groom Team Canada at the 2024 World Grooming Championships. A sought-after speaker and Canadian Kennel Club exhibitor,, Nadia’s expertise, passion, and engaging teaching style continue to inspire and elevate the grooming industry worldwide.
Melissa Abbott - 2nd Place (35 Points)
Melissa Abbott is a Groom Team Canada member, salon owner, and professional pet groomer with over 13 years of industry experience. She opened The Foxy Hound in Chilliwack, BC eight years ago and began competing in grooming competitions in 2019. While growing her salon, Melissa recognized a shortage of skilled groomers and began training her own staff — discovering a passion for education that quickly became a central focus of her career. That passion led to the creation of West Coast Groom Fest, British Columbia’s grooming-focused educational event, which she founded in 2022 to support learning, connection, and growth within the Canadian grooming community. Melissa is deeply committed to competitive grooming and continues to challenge herself in the ring, valuing the learning that comes with every competition. Her achievements include multiple Best in Show wins, including Best in Show and Best International Groomer at SuperZoo 2024, as well as numerous 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes. In 2025, Melissa was ranked 1st in Poodles and 2nd Overall in Canada, further reflecting her dedication to excellence in grooming. When she’s not grooming, teaching, or travelling to industry events, Melissa enjoys attending local dog shows and spending time outdoors with her husband Mark, and their four dogs.
Jovi Wagner - 3rd Place (34 Points)
Jovi is a second-generation professional groomer whose career began in 1999, with competitive grooming becoming a major focus in 2015. An internationally recognized expert and multiple Best in Show winner, she grew up immersed in conformation shows and breeds Irish Wolfhounds and Welsh Terriers under the TIROC kennel name. Known for her deep understanding of breed structure and standards, Jovi has earned widespread respect through decades of hands-on experience and strong relationships with breeders worldwide. She has owned one of Saskatchewan, Canada’s top grooming salons since 2001 and has consistently ranked among the country’s top groomers since 2016. A member of Groom Team Canada since 2017 and captain since 2022, Jovi helped lead the team to a Silver Medal at the 2024 World Grooming Competition in Belgium. Her expertise has also taken her around the world as a judge and educator, sharing her knowledge through international seminars and instruction. Passionate about continued learning, Jovi is committed to elevating the grooming industry through education, mentorship, and global collaboration.
Jessica Daltrey - 4th Place (27 Points)
Jessica graduated from grooming school in 2015 and quickly set goals to attend workshops, seminars and compete in contests. The love for contest grooms, hand stripping and showing dogs set it and she had been hooked ever since. In 2017 she started her contest grooming career and in 2019 she opened a salon in her home town. Within those years she became a certified master groomer through CPPS and also began to dive deep into the terrier world, specializing in hand stripping. Just after Covid Jessica started competing in Open Division and dabbled into the international grooming contests, winning international groomers awards, best all around groomer, international best in show awards, and multiple class placements. Most recently Jessica travelled to the 2024 World Grooming Championships in Belgium with Groom team Canada where she won best in Show with her Kerry Blue Terrier in the individual championships, and as a team she helped Canada bring home a silver medal. It is her passion to continue her education every way she can and pass that knowledge onto every groomer who is willing to learn.
Jackie Boulton - 5th Place (16 Points)
Jackie Boulton is a highly respected professional dog groomer with over 40 years of experience in the grooming industry and nearly 30 years as the owner of her own successful grooming shop. Known for her exceptional skill and artistic precision, Jackie has built a career defined by excellence, dedication, and continual professional growth, earning her recognition as a leader within the grooming community.
Jackie competes at both national and international levels and proudly represents Team Canada. In 2024, she competed with Team Canada in Belgium at the World Grooming Championships, where her work grooming a poodle contributed to the team’s achievement of a silver medal—the most significant accomplishment of her career to date. Still actively competing, Jackie has earned numerous prestigious honors, including multiple Best in Show and Best Scissored Dog awards. Her passion for the craft, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence continue to inspire fellow groomers and elevate the standards of professional dog grooming worldwide.
Jackie Boulton
Wynne Wong - 6th Place (8 Points)
Wynne Wong is the Executive Groomer and manager of Fluffy’ Spa, a role she has held since 2002. She is dedicated to continually advancing her skills and knowledge by attending grooming shows and seminars throughout the United States and Canada. In 2006, she earned the titles of IPG Certified Master Groomer and Certified Master Groomer (CMG) with the Canadian Professional Pet Stylists. Passionate about education, Wynne has been sharing her grooming expertise by training Fluffy’ Spa groomers since 2006. In 2014, she founded Fluffy Paws Grooming School, where she began training professional groomers and supporting the next generation of industry talent. Wynne has actively competed in grooming competitions across the U.S. and Canada for the past nine years, earning multiple gold, silver, and bronze medals. She was nominated for Canadian Groomer of the Year in 2018 and received the Best All-Around Groomer award at Mastergroom Canada 2018. She enjoys competing and connecting with fellow groomers from around the world, valuing the exchange of knowledge and mutual support within the grooming community. She is honoured to have been selected for the Travel Team in both 2022 and 2024 and is excited to continue supporting the growth of the Canadian grooming industry by sharing knowledge alongside her grooming family.
Carmen Qui - 7th Place (7 Points)
Carmen has been grooming since 2010 and began teaching at Fluffy Paws Grooming School in 2018. Renowned for her exceptional scissoring techniques, she consistently earns placements in grooming competitions and has recently advanced to the Open Level. In 2024, she was proudly ranked among Canada’s Top Ten Groomers by Groom Team Canada, and in 2025, she received the “Best Bichon” Award at Groom Expo West. Carmen’s expertise spans a wide range of dog breeds, with a strong emphasis on breed-specific grooming styles, as well as health and maintenance practices. Outside the salon and classroom, Carmen cherishes spending time with her two beloved Bichons, Charlotte and BoBa.
Taylor Oviatt - 8th Place (5 Points)
Born into the grooming world, Taylor Oviatt has been immersed in the craft her entire life. Competing since 2015, she has trained and competed internationally and is proud to be ranked among the Top Ten Groomers in Canada by GroomTeam points. Taylor specializes in the Hand Strip class, placing internationally and is a two-time Best in Show winner at Mastergroom Canada, most recently in 2025 with a Scottish Terrier after a six-year break from competitions. She grooms full time alongside her mother in the salon, helps host educational seminars, and maintains a small Scottish Terrier breeding program with her family that is home to Canada's 2025 #1 Scottish Terrier.
Marcia Strong - 9th Place (5 Points)
Marcia Strong is a Certified Master Groomer (CPPS), Groom Team Canada member, and Ukal Canada sponsored competitor. A five-time Barkleigh Honour Award winner, Marcia competes at the Open level in Poodles, All Other Purebred, and Salon Freestyle classes. She has built three successful salons from the ground up, grooms for film and television, and has been featured in international magazines. An experienced educator and competitor Marcia has travelled across North America and the UK to teach, compete, and inspire. Her favourite class to judge is the First Timers Class, where she can help new groomers find their confidence. Beyond the competition ring, Marcia shares her passion on TikTok as “I Like Dogs More Than You,” and proudly raises and shows Kerry Blue Terriers.
Stephanie Montreuil - 10th Place (1 Point)
Stéphanie Montreuil has been a professional groomer for over 30 years and is the founder and owner of Les Pattes de la Mode, established in 2000. She leads a team of dedicated grooming professionals and holds a Master Groomer title. Grooming has always been more than a career for Stéphanie, it is a true passion she has pursued competitively for the past 15 years. Deeply committed to advancing the grooming profession in Québec, she is known as a trusted mentor who generously supports both emerging and experienced groomers through training, internships, and competition preparation. Stéphanie has played an active role in promoting professional standards, helping organize grooming events, and contributing to the visibility and growth of the industry. She remains highly involved in the canine world through grooming competitions, conformation, and ratting sports, while continuing annual education to stay current. Stéphanie has a special fondness for terriers and sporting breeds.
This year's top 10 groomers were awarded a Top Ten Smock.
Top 10 Canadian Groomers for the 2024 Term
Nadia Bongelli - 1st Place (187 Points)
Jovi Wagner - 2nd Place (45 Points)
Jessica Daltrey - 3rd Place (40 Points)
Melissa Abbott - 4th Place (23 Points)
Jackie Boulton - 5th Place (9 Points)
Marcia Strong - 6th Place (6 Points)
Wynne Wong - 7th Place (5 Points)
Carmen Qui - 7th Place (5 Points)
Tracy Spokes - 8th Place (2 Points)
Annie McGaire - 8th Place (2 Points)
Chantel Hunt - 9th Place (1 Point)
Top 10 Canadian Groomers for the 2023 Term
Nadia Bongelli - 1st Place (123 Points)
Jovi Wagner - 2nd Place (73 Points)
Jessica Daltrey - 3rd Place (64 Points)
Jackie Boulton - 4th Place (25 Points)
Alex Calenda - 5th Place (5 Points)
Bryanna Fretz McKenzie - 6th Place (4 Points)
Yufei Hu - 7th Place (4 Points)
Priscilla Suddard - 8th Place (3 Points)
Melissa Abbott - 9th Place (3 Points)
Chantel Hunt - 10th Place (3 Points)
Top 10 Canadian Groomers for the 2019 Term
Nadia Bongelli - 1st Place (67 Points)