While responding to reports of shots fired Wednesday evening, Tampa police officers stumbled upon a gruesome scene -- a dog tied up to railroad tracks, shot and bloodied.
Officers Gina Murphy, Nick Wilson and Sgt. R. Mills were in the Sulphur Springs area just north of Eskimo Drive around 5:23 p.m. when they discovered the two-year-old female mixed-breed dog tied down to the tracks with the belt.
Police officials say the dog was shot twice in the neck and above the right shoulder, but was luckily still alive when the officers found her.
The officers freed the dog from the tracks and rushed her to the Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Center, where the dog the officers named Cabela was listed in stable condition.
Veterinarian Jamie Davison said Cabela, who will need an amputation of her right front leg, was doing great and described her as a "sweet/good tempered" dog.
The Tampa Police Department is investigating the case and is appealing to the public for any information involving the subjects involved in this offense, or anyone who knows the ownership of the dog.