Perspective: The soldier, the murderer, and the dog

Raymond Hubbard, Barbara Goucher, and Dace

FRAMINGHAM -- The wounded soldier and the convicted murderer, sitting side by side in the women's prison here, smiled at the colorful scrapbook images of the doting 2-year-old that links them.

That 2-year-old, a black Labrador named Dace, dozed yesterday beside Specialist Raymond Hubbard, whose left leg, right elbow, and carotid artery were ripped open by an artillery shell last Fourth of July near Baghdad.

Hubbard, a father of two young boys, looked ahead to bringing Dace home to Wisconsin today to help him navigate the new, daunting obstacles he will face.

"She'll be a big part of my life," said the 28-year-old Army National Guard member, whose leg has been amputated below the knee. "She'll be at my side when I go out in public. She'll help me with my balance, and she'll get things on the floor when I can't."

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