It almost defies belief: At around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, people in the Sulphur Springs area of Tampa, Florida, heard gunshots. They called police, who responded. Officers found the victim: a dog, who had been shot twice in the neck and once in the shoulder. But where they found her will make you shudder: She had been tied to the railroad tracks by a belt.
The police had to stop an oncoming train before they could free the dog, and they quickly transported her to the Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Center, where she is continuing to receive treatment.
“She’s doing well. She’s eating, she’s drinking, she’s in good spirits,” veterinary nurse Mike Lord told the AP when Cabela, as the dog is now called, was brought in.
Vets feared she would lose her leg — bullet fragments scattered throughout her body and shattered the bone in her right leg — but surgery last night saved it. The Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Center posted this message on its Facebook page: “Cabela came through surgery with flying colors and four legs. The surgeon decided to pin it instead of amputation. It will be six to eight weeks before we know whether she will regain full use and motion.”
10 News reporter Danica Lawrence tweeted a photo of the hardware doctors used to save her leg:
She also tweeted photos of Cabela’s recovery:
The Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Center has a page up for people who want to donate to Cabela’s medical care.
Unfortunately, police don’t have any suspects; those who heard the gunshots didn’t see anyone with a gun. The Tampa Bay Humane Society is contributing $2,500 to the reward, which also includes $3,000 from Crime Stoppers, being offered to anyone whose information “leads to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot Cabela,” according to its Facebook page.
Police are asking anyone with information on what happened to the dog or who owns her to call them at (813) 231-6130.
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