Dog's leg amputated after being shot, tied to train tracks
By Associated Press
Mar 5, 2015 4:48 PM CST
In this Wednesday, March 4, 2015 photo made available by the Tampa Police Department, Sgt. Rich Mills carries an injured female dog that was left tied to a railroad track in Sulfur Springs, Fla. Tampa police found the dog, who had been shot repeatedly, fastened to the tracks with a belt. The dog is...   (Associated Press)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A dog that was tied to railroad tracks and shot was expected to survive after her leg was amputated Thursday.

Tampa Police received three calls around 5:23 p.m. Wednesday from people reporting hearing gunshots. When they heard a dog whimpering while canvassing the neighborhood, they followed the sound to nearby train tracks. They found the mixed-breed female dog, about a year or two old, fastened to the tracks with a belt, suffering from bullet wounds in its neck and right shoulder.

They alerted the train operator to halt any oncoming traffic as they got the dog off the track, then rushed her to a veterinarian. Bullet fragments were found throughout the dog's body and led to the amputation of her right front leg, where multiple fragments were found. The dog was in stable condition Thursday.

"It's very calm and relaxed and just in recovery mode at this point," said Officer Derek Lang, a police spokesman.

None of the individuals who had called police had seen anyone with a gun or were aware of the dog being injured, police said, so they put out a public appeal for anyone with information to come forward and tips have flowed in. "All of the tips are leading officers in the right direction," said Sgt. Gary Coller, one of the officers who responded to the incident.

The officers named the dog Cabela.