Mollie Brock, a resident of the Epsom on the Park rest home, pats Orpheus the Labrador. In 2007 Orpheus and his handler visited rest homes and hospitals in the Auckland region, as part of a therapy pets scheme run jointly by the Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and St John Outreach. Often people who are ill, handicapped or withdrawn react positively to animals, and their physical and mental health improves as a result.