Local humane society groomer receives customer service award

Like most people who work with animals on a daily basis, Sasha LeMaster has a passion and a deep love for the pets she grooms.

The Fairfield Area Humane Society groomer recently received the Tammy Nusser Customer Service Award from the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce. The award’s namesake, Tammy Nusser, worked as the director of development at the county chamber of commerce until her death a few years ago, according to chamber president Travis Markwood. After she died, he said the chamber decided to create an award in her memory to recognize people in the community who are “doing a great job in customer service.”

Some criteria used for selecting award recipients includes “demonstrating consistence in level of service to customers, always addressing customers with friendliness and enthusiasm, and demonstrating a willingness to go above the required job responsibilities.”

Having only been at the local humane society for almost two years, LeMaster said she was very surprised to learn she’d even been nominated for the award.

“It means a lot. I haven’t been at this establishment very long, so to accomplish something like that in such a short period of time, like I said, it’s very humbling,” LeMaster said. “I was in tears. It got me a little bit, but this is a great place to work.”

Being a groomer takes a special person, Corey Schoonover, Fairfield Area Humane Society director, said. While the humane society is in the business of customer service, he added, the dog grooming part is at a whole other level, which is why he nominated LeMaster for the award.

“I could’ve nominated any one of my staff, but it’s just a different situation because with so many people, their pets are like their kids and they’re very particular and you have to be very patient not just with the animals, but with their owners,” Schoonover said.

While some of the dogs like to be groomed, there are others who don’t, he said.

“I’ve never heard so much baby talk since my kids were little,” Schoonover said with a smile.

Hearing LeMaster doing baby talk with the dogs goes back to her passion for caring for their needs and making sure their owners are happy with the way they’ve been groomed.

“Whereas like a retail job where you’re dealing with customers in that aspect versus this way, it is a little different because your customers are animals,” LeMaster said. “I think the biggest thing that’s helped me is that my clients aren’t just my clients, they’re my family. Their dogs are my kids. I treat them like my furkids, so I think that’s what’s made this kind of happen.”

According to Schoonover, Nusser also served on the humane society’s board of directors at one point, which served as added motivation for him to nominate one of his staff.

“I was really excited about one, nominating her and two, the fact that she won because it’s the Tammy Nusser Customer Service Award,” he said. “It being the Tammy Nusser award and that connection, that is the reason why the humane society is part of the chamber of commerce.”

As a groomer, LeMaster has experienced owners who have very high expectations of how they want their dog to look and sometimes the expectations aren’t realistic.

“I try to do exactly what everybody wants and a lot of the times, I guess I exceed their expectations so I guess I’m doing O.K.,” LeMaster said with a laugh.

For Schoonover, seeing LeMaster receive the award made him proud of not only her, but the humane society as well.

“Sometimes this is a thankless job, so these awards and any kind of community recognition are a boost to what we do,” he said. “I think that recognition really shows the group effort we’ve put in over the past couple years and the great support from the community. It shows that people are noticing what we’re doing and noticing the good work we’re doing.”