UPDATE Cleveland police say story of 3 dogs tied to Tremont railroad tracks wasn't true

CLEVELAND - Cleveland police said a further investigation of three dogs allegedly being tied to railroad tracks in Tremont, with two being killed and one surviving, wasn't exactly true.

On Aug. 15, Cleveland police said a bridge monitor reported a man tied three dogs to the tracks, took photos of their struggle and then took off when the train came by.

But Cleveland Police Sgt. Sammy Morris said Sunday that the story didn't quite pan out that way after a second investigation.

Morris said a lieutenant did find a dog tied to the tracks, but that he thinks "she was tangled by accident."

Cleveland police now believe the small pup, who survived being run over by the train, likely by crouching down and underneath it, got loose from her home. The pup wasn't injured.

"There were never two dogs killed," Morris continued, who said the lieutenant talked to the bridge monitor and a few other people at the tracks that day.

"People are often out there taking pictures of the tracks and the area, so that's where the idea of someone photographing the 'dogs' being run over may have come from," explained Morris.

The dog pictured is at the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter, but is not yet ready to be adopted.

Cleveland police stress the pup pictured was the only one who got tangled in the tracks and there were never three dogs in danger to begin with.

When the story initially broke, several agencies, including one local family, said they would offer up to a $10,500 reward to catch the alleged animal abuser.