Top 10 Canadian Groomers for the 2024 Term
Nadia Bongelli - 1st Place (187 Points)
Nadia Bongelli is the head groomer at Doggieland North Toronto, with 10 years of professional grooming experience under her belt. Nadia began competing off and on between the end of 2012 and 2014, until she began to seriously compete in 2015. Since then she has been nominated for Barkleigh Honors “Up and Coming Groomer of the Year” in 2015 and 2016, which she won in 2016. She was Intergroom’s “Rising Star of the Year” in 2016 and soon after began competing in Canada and the USA at the open level. Since then she is the 2017 and 2018 “Canadian Groomer of the Year” by popular vote as well as Intergrooms “International Groomer of the Year” for 2017 and 2018. In 2019, Nadia won Best International Groomer at Superzoo in Las Vegas, and her first US Best In Show at the New England Grooming Show in 2019. Nadia found her passion for educating and speaking in 2017 and has since attended many events as a speaker and instructor and in hands on workshops in Canada and in the United States. Nadia will be travelling with Groom Team Canada to Belgium in 2024 and is excited to represent her country with her team members.
Jovi Wagner - 2nd Place (45 Points)
Jovi, a professional groomer since 1999, has been involved in competitive grooming since 2015, earning recognition for her skills and winning multiple Best in Show titles. A second-generation groomer, she breeds Irish Wolfhounds and Welsh Terriers under the TIROC kennel name. With years of experience in conformation shows, she has built strong connections with breeders and owns one of Saskatchewan’s top grooming salons. Since 2019, Jovi has served as the captain of Team Canada, helping guide the team to a Silver Medal at the 2024 World Grooming Competition in Belgium. She is dedicated to sharing her knowledge through seminars and private lessons, believing in continuous growth within the grooming community.
Jessica Daltrey - 3rd Place (40 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 and multiple class placements. Her goal was to make Groom Team Canada one day. It is her passion to continue her education every way she can and pass that knowledge onto every groomer who is willing to learn.
Melissa Abbott - 4th Place (23 Points)
Melissa has been grooming professionally for over 10 years. She opened her salon The Foxy Hound in Chilliwack, BC 6 years ago and started grooming competitively in 2019. In attempting to grow her business Melissa found that quality groomers were scarce and decided to begin training her own staff to groom. In this she has found a love for educating that has become a huge passion and the driving force for BC's grooming event West Coast Groom Fest, which she developed in 2022.
Melissa's other great love is competitive grooming. She learns something new every time she steps into the ring. Melissa has been awarded many 1st, 2nd and 3rd placements, one Best All Around Groomer title and one Best In Show. When she's not working or traveling to grooming events Melissa loves attending her local dog shows and spending time outdoors with her husband Mark and their three dogs.
Jackie Boulton - 5th Place (9 Points)
Jackie has been a pet stylist since 1986 where she started as a bather/brusher at a grooming salon in Calgary. Currently she is the co- owner of the very successful Mucky Pups with her sister Deb which they opened in 1996. In 1992 Jackie attended her first grooming contest, Intergroom, in New Jersey, since that time she has accumulated over 60 gold, silver and bronze medals in various breed classes and has won the title of Best International Groomer an unprecedented 8 times. In 2007 at Groom Expo Jackie was named the Winners Circle Champion bringing home the grand prize jackpot of $32,500. Jackie has also received the honour of five Cardinal Crystal Achievement awards for International Groomer of the Year. In 2011 and 2013 she won the $10,000 Groomer Super Jackpot class at Superzoo in Las Vegas. Jackie has received numerous Best in Show and Best All Around stylist titles as well as several Best Scissored Dog awards. In February 2015 she won her third consecutive Best in Show at Groom and Kennel Expo in California, and currently holds the record of nine covers on Groomer to Groomer magazine. In the competitive seasons of 2015-2016 and 2017-2018, Jackie ranked #1 overall in Groom Team Canada points. Jackie will be representing Team Canada at the 2024 World Grooming Championship.
Marcia Strong - 6th Place (6 Points)
Marcia Strong, an award-winning certified master groomer and has been a respected Professional Pet Groomer since 2009. With a dedication to detail and a competitive drive, Marcia embarked on her grooming journey 15 years ago, honing her skills under the mentorship of two renowned groomers. Transitioning from salon work to competitive grooming in 2010, Marcia's talent shone through as she clinched multiple awards and titles across various Poodle and Mixed breed classes. Her grooming prowess extends beyond competitions as she has even groomed dogs featured in international magazines and various media productions. In 2015, Marcia achieved the esteemed title of Certified Master Groomer through the Canadian Professional Pet Stylists (CPPS), marking a culmination of years of dedication. Today, she serves as a senior certifier for the board, sharing her expertise with aspiring groomers. While Marcia is renowned for her professional accomplishments, she's also made waves in the realm of social media. Her TikTok channel, "I Like Dog More Than You," has repeatedly gone viral, earning her three Barkleigh Honor Awards and sponsorship deals with several brands. Beyond her grooming and instructional endeavors, Marcia is an enthusiastic competitor at the open level. Keep an eye on the ring for her and her Kerry Blue, Ayla, and Mini Poodle, Possum. In recent years, Marcia has transitioned to working from home after making the decision to sell her storefront locations. With a small team, she operates a salon in a serene, intimate setting, offering one-on-one grooming experiences that prioritize the comfort and safety of both dogs and groomers alike.
Carmen Qui - 7th Place - Tie (5 Points)
Wynne Wong - 7th Place - Tie (5 Points)
Tracy Spokes - 8th Place - Tie(2 Points)
Annie McGaire - 8th Place - Tie (2 Points)
Chantel Hunt - 9th Place - (1 Point)
In 2011, after twelve years in biotechnology, I transitioned into dog grooming, inspired by my toy poodle, Maggie. I completed a formal grooming course and opened deTails Dog Grooming that same year. In 2014, I began competing in grooming competitions and earned my Master Groomer certification with NDGAA in 2017, followed by CPPS in Canada. I have ranked among the Top 10 for Groom Team Canada for several years. What started as a home-based business has grown into two locations, driven by my commitment to ongoing education. I am also an internationally certified dermatological groomer, specializing in skin and coat health, which has significantly shaped my grooming practice and the care I provide for dogs with specialized needs.
This year's top 10 groomers were awarded a Certificate of Achievement by Groom Team Canada.
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)