Bonnybridge dog groomer brings Scottish team to world championships for first time in 20 years

Denise McGlennon, who owns a dog grooming business in Bonnybridge, has spent the last four years building up a Scottish grooming team after stepping up as the head of Groom Team Scotland.

She is also working to make more groomers aware of the community in Scotland through networking and community events.

Denise is joined by her daughter Lesleyann McGlennon, who also works at DMG Pet Grooming and joined her mother’s side at Groom Team Scotland, and friend Cherise McKenzie, who helps with organising for the team.

Four years ago, the previous head of Groom Team Scotland stepped down and Denise, who had supported the team for around 12 years, took her place.

With years of experience behind her, Denise is a Certified Master Groomer and has brought innovations to events like Crufts and The UK Groom Off.

The trio have spent the last few years hosting fundraising events, talent spotting, and helping other groomers build connections in the community while training up a strong team.

Their hard work paid off when they took a Scottish team to Belgium for the World Team Grooming Championships in September, marking the first time a team from the country reached the championships in two decades.

Denise said: “It was amazing, I actually had to pinch myself because I couldn’t believe that we were there.”

While the 2028 championships are a goal for the team, Denise has her own dream of making the industry less isolating by nurturing connectivity and community.

She’s making her dream become a reality through fundraising events, which are essential to covering the team’s travel expenses for competitions.

Their main event, the Great Scot Grooming Show, is preparing for its fourth year next year. Industry leaders speak at seminars during the event, and they also judge the competition. During its first year, the show won an industry award for Best Event of the Year.

Next year, the Great Scot Grooming Show will be held at Grangemouth Stadium, as Denise “wanted to move to somewhere that was more community based”.

She said: “This is a really exciting time for Scotland and we’re hoping to build a really strong, supportive community. People don’t realise how big dog grooming competitions are, there’s a lot of groomers in Scotland that still have no idea that they happen.”

Denise believes that even if groomers don’t see themselves competing, they should still come along to events to become part of a network.

She added: “It stops that isolation part [of the job]. They get to socialise, network, and make friends for life.

“The team would be nothing without the community, so we really need to champion them.”

The groomer has seen success after success, and to add to her achievements Denise has been asked to judge at the Crufts Dog Grooming Competition in 2027.

She said: “It’s like a lifetime goal, really. It’s beyond words, I’m absolutely thrilled about it.”

For those interested in joining the team, or looking to find out more, Groom Team Scotland can be contacted at [email protected].