NIH Record - National Institutes of Health

#PuppyCam Posts

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Yellow labrador puppies snuggled together in a play barrel
Pups take a “paws.” The seven woofers—eight weeks old at the event—are being raised to become service animals by Hero Dogs, a non-profit organization that serves military veterans and first responders with disabilities.

Photo:  Twitter

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Levine, Becerra and Delphin-Rittmon stand smiling, each holding a puppy.
HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine (l), HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon (r) pose with puppies.

Photo:  Twitter

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Becerra sits on chair, cradling puppy in his arms.
Becerra and a companion extol the virtues of having a trusted friend (two-legged or four-legged) to help you through a mental health challenge.

Photo:  Twitter

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Weber and Quinlan stand smiling each holding sleepy puppies.
NCCIH’s Dr. Wendy Weber (l) and Dr. Erin Quinlan cradle sleepy pooches.

Photo:  Twitter

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Weber and Quinlan sit by dog crate, each holding a sleepy puppy.
The two NCCIH representatives share information about mindfulness, yoga, stress and pain management.

Photo:  Twitter

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Zoosman, with hand over his heart and eyes closed, meditates with puppy sprawled out on his lap.
CC Chaplain Michael Zoosman leads a calming meditation.

Photo:  Twitter

“Happiness is a warm puppy,” Charles Shulz, creator of the well-known comic strip “Peanuts,” famously said. HHS leadership took the sentiment into account when they organized #PuppyCam, a livestream event intended to highlight various mental health initiatives across the department.

The stars of the event came courtesy of Hero Dogs, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides trained service canines for U.S. military veterans and first responders with disabilities. The seven yellow labrador puppies, wearing miniature red service vests, romped around their enclosure and played with each of the speakers.

NIH was well-represented at the event: NCCIH’s Dr. Wendy Weber and Dr. Erin Quinlan discussed mindfulness, yoga, stress and pain management. Chaplain Michael Zoosman of the Clinical Center’s spiritual care department led a meditation exercise.

The NIH Record

The NIH Record, founded in 1949, is the biweekly newsletter for employees of the National Institutes of Health.

Published 25 times each year, it comes out on payday Fridays.

Associate Editor: Dana Talesnik
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