Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center

Tails, Teamwork, and Thankfulness: How Luminis Health AAMC Celebrated Nurses Week With Puppies and Purpose

There is no shortage of heart at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland. During Nurses Week this May, the hospital's human resources team found one of the most irresistible ways imaginable to make sure their nursing staff felt every bit of it.

From May 3 through 9, 2026, Luminis Health AAMC honored its nurses with a full week of daily events, each one thoughtfully planned to celebrate the people who show up every single day with skill, patience, and an enormous amount of heart. Every day brought something new. But one day brought something no one could resist.

Seven puppies walked through the doors, and the place lit up.

The furry guests included five 8-week-old Australian Shepherd mix siblings from one litter and two 11-week-old Lab-Shepherd mix pups from another, all brought in through Operation Paws for Homes, a local rescue organization dedicated to connecting dogs with loving families. Soft, squirmy, and full of puppy energy, they were exactly what a group of nurses who pour themselves into patient care every day deserved: a moment of pure, uncomplicated joy with absolutely zero agenda attached.

The love went both ways. By the end of the event, Operation Paws for Homes had already received several adoption applications, meaning some of those tiny pups may have found their forever families thanks to the big-hearted nurses at AAMC.

"Nurses give so much of themselves every day," said a team member from the HR team. "We wanted to celebrate them in a way that felt meaningful, fun, and maybe a little life-changing, for both the nurses and the pups."

The puppy visit was made possible through Puppy Love DC, and it is a great example of what happens when employee appreciation goes beyond a card and a catered lunch. These events are built around real connection, the kind that lowers stress, lifts moods, and reminds people that the place they work actually sees them.

For organizations looking for a way to show employees they matter in a way that sticks, this is it. Puppy Love events are proven to boost morale, reduce stress, and increase engagement, all while shining a light on adoptable rescue dogs who need homes. It is a genuine win for your team and a meaningful one for the pups.

Thank you to Luminis Health AAMC for investing in your nurses with creativity and care. Organizations that show up for their people in real, human ways see the difference in culture, retention, and the kind of loyalty that no benefits package can manufacture on its own.

And to every nurse at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center: thank you. What you do every day matters more than words can cover, and you deserved every single puppy cuddle.

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What Our Customers Say

Roselina Rimando

Absolutely an amazing experience! The Puppy Love™ team was early, and was able to set up right next to our outdoor restaurant table. I was worried the space would be restrictive, but it was not! We held the puppies while standing or sitting at the table. This was no doubt the best experience our team has ever had. Everyone was so in love with the puppies, and we had such a great time spending this time with them! Who can resist puppies? Apparently no one, because strangers were walking by and stopped to take photos and ask about the puppies! I worked with Sabrina at Puppy Love™ to coordinate the event. I called her worried the experience might be lacking because of the restaurant space we reserved (the only one in the area that could take a large party + puppies), but she looked at the restaurant photos while on the phone with me and reassured me they could make it work, and she was absolutely correct! So glad I was able to leverage her expertise. The onsite Puppy Love™ team duo, were so friendly and engaging. They took photos of our team with the puppies, and answered all our questions. I would absolutely recommend working with Puppy Love™! This was an unforgettable experience! Our team was raving about it for days!

Erica Pham

There are not enough words to describe how great Jennifer and the Puppy Love™ team are! I have been wanting to plan a company event for awhile now and it was important to me that we did not support using puppies/dogs from mills or breeders. Puppy Love™ not only partners with rescues, but also will donate a portion of the cost to the rescue as well so right off the bat, I was already impressed. Jennifer is very communicative throughout the process and made it easy for us to host the event. We essentially just provided the space and her team handled the rest! Everyone on the team were incredibly kind and clearly cared about the dogs and puppies. The event was nothing short of amazing and I have no doubt that we will be inviting them back for another event in the future! It’s well worth it, I can’t recommend Puppy Love™ enough!

Emily Jasinsky

Puppy love is always a hit! We had them at our health fair yesterday and people were so excited. Very professional staff, adorable and well behaved pups!

Stephanie Simmons

We brought Puppy Love™ in for our site Happy Hour and it was a HUGE HIT! We had a constant line of employees waiting to get some love from the puppies. Folks are already asking for another event. Puppy Love™ really puts the Happy in Happy Hour!

Anna Muller

Heart melting experience🦄💕

Maddie Garcia

such an amazing business it’s totally a win win all around!! super fun holding and playing with puppies

Michelle Cadwell

Jennifer is a such a Gem to work with! We hired her company for a Employee Summer Picnic event in August of 2023. She not only provided a ton of wonderful information on how activations work, but provided a whole experience. We remained in contact up to our event. The day of the event, was not only seem less, but her staff was beyond amazing. Puppies did get held up in traffic but we made the most of it, and they ensured puppies were here for the full time. I will be in contact again for our next event in the future.

Maria Steiner

PUPPIES! Who does not love spending time with these cuties. The rescue pups are so adorable and playful, or even comforting and sweet sleeping in your arms. Great way to add to a conference or corporate event, promoting socialization for the dogs and alleviating stress and anxiety for attendees. Tensions melt away and blood pressure drops, puppy love is magical. Great organization to help with events. They have exceptional staff who really care about promoting dog rescues and adoptions. Thank you Sabrina and your team!

Eryn McCoy

I couldn’t say better things about Puppy Love™! The staff was so incredibly nice, welcoming, and caring with the dogs! It was so fun to cuddle and play with pups! Wish Puppy Love™ was at every conference I went to!

Dean Steiner

If you are hosting a conference or corporate event, looking for something for employee appreciation, team building, or recognition, Puppy Love™ is a great option. In cooperation with local rescue organizations, Puppy Love™ will bring and supervise puppies at your event allowing your team all the cuddles and doggo kisses they can handle! The staff are great and love the positive engagement with the pups and the public. This is so beneficial for all involved, positive vibes for the people, and socialization for the pups. They are amazing!

Noella Robles

Puppy Love™ is such a fantastic company to work with! At a recent event, our guests truly loved spending time with the precious puppies! Puppy Love™ services helped make this event magical and we cannot thank them enough. They were all such a joy to work with and all of their energy + effort was essential in providing an amazing experience and this event could not have been possible without them! thank you Puppy Love™!

Lauren Mushkin

Puppy Love™ provides the BEST puppy experience. They focus on the healthy, safety and well-being of the pups and people. I would highly encourage anyone looking to have a fun, unique, and experience to contact them!

Alta Abel

Puppy Love™ was the hit of our Happy Hour- they brought the joy and snuggles all our attendees needed to unwind from the day. One enthusiastic attendee went as far as describing it as “pure magic!” Their snuggle coaches made sure the pups didn’t get overwhelmed and everyone got their turn to feel the puppy love. They made the planning super easy, worked directly with the venue manager to find an area, arrived on time, and shared photos of our guests!

Courtney Hitrys

Working with Jennifer has been a pleasure! Their set up and take down is smooth, the puppies are always adorable and Puppy Love™ is reliable and make the process of working with puppies at events smooth and easy.

Ashley Cazares

We worked with this group for our first SHRM conference. They went above and beyond to make sure things went smoothly. Puppies were well taken care of and had many puppy naps. Love their mission behind their work. Would 10/10 recommend for any event.

vanessa kahn

Such a PAWsitive addition to the event!

Juliet Duball

Great cause and adorable puppies!

Vykki Ravo

Away from home at a work conference and missing my puppers. This was just what I needed.

Kayla Rivera

We loved having PuppyLove come to our office! I had a simple and easy time working with Sabrina to plan this event. The day of support from PuppyLove were helpful and organized! We will definitely have this event in our office again!

Christine Kroeckel

Puppies of Pulse!! Thank you SF for all the Puppy Love™. So many smiling faces and happy pups!

Why Puppy Love™?

Even the most conscientious workplace can be stress-filled. We believe cuddling and playing with puppies is an ideal way to restore the balance. In fact, scientific studies have shown positive therapeutic effects from animal interaction – including decreasing blood pressure and reduced levels of cortisol.

Where did the idea for Puppy Love™ come from?

Puppy Love™ founder Sabrina Freed combined her two key passions: creating outstanding events and animal advocacy. A pioneer in the field of high-profile conferences Sabrina realized firsthand how employees would benefit from puppies in the workplace, and likewise, how employers would see results in worker efficiency, and wellness. A wonderful give-back, Puppy Love™ also donates 20% of all proceeds back into the local rescue community.

Where is Puppy Love™ headquartered?

Puppy Love™ was started in San Francisco and serves all areas of northern and southern California. We also partner with rescues nationwide to provide Puppy Love™ experiences across the U.S.

Is Puppy Love™ licensed and insured?

Yes. Each location carries liability insurance of $2M to ensure our attendees and puppies are well covered.

Where does Puppy Love™ get their puppies?

All pups come from our vetted, fully trusted rescue partners who ensure pups are happy and well cared for. 20% of all Puppy Love™ proceeds are donated back to our rescue partners to help cover their food and medical costs.

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