TAMPA, Fla. >> 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. Then they heard a dog whimpering while canvassing the neighborhood, and 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 were able to free the dog before any trains came, and nicknamed her "Cabela." They rushed her to a veterinarian, and she underwent surgery Thursday to remove her injured right front leg.

"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.