Woolfrey, now 60, has high levels of anxiety, major depressive order and partial post traumatic stress disorder.
He was able to get his Boston terrier, Daisy, certified as a therapy dog, which allows her to accompany him in public buildings and restaurants and also allowed him to keep her when he moved into the Cherish retirement home in Langford.
Joining as a reservist when he was 16, Woolfrey eventually became a permanent member worked as a marine service engineer on six ships, sailing everywhere from the Panama Canal to the Arctic Ocean.
“You can have a smart person on paper.
“Training dogs for duty should not be an enterprise, it should not be a cash grab,” he said.