POLAND – A dog reportedly thrown from a van and killed was instead set free from a van when the driver who found the stray thought the yellow lab had found its owners, say police.

The 5-year-old dog, Dalton, was killed on Nov. 21, when he was hit by a vehicle on Empire Road.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department concluded its investigation of the pet’s death after tips led deputies to a couple who found Dalton beside the road.

The identity of the couple has not been released.

Without tags to trace the lab to his owners, the couple was trying to find Dalton’s home. When they stopped at a house, the dog bolted, Deputy Thomas Slivinski said.

“The driver told me that after the dog bounced out of the van, he took after a passing SUV,” Slivinski said. “The dog was biting at the SUV’s tires as though he recognized the vehicle.”

Dog owners themselves, the couple in the van figured he was all right and headed home. Sometime later, Dalton was killed.

The Sun Journal was unable to reach owner Tasha Faloon for comment on the new information.

In an earlier interview with the paper, Faloon said Dalton was beloved by her whole family. She and her husband have four children, ages 1 to 11.

Faloon told police that Dalton had gotten off his leash about 5:30 p.m. Nov. 21. Normally when that happened, he didn’t stray very far. This time he disappeared. The family drove around looking for him but did not know of his fate until a day later.

Slivinski suggested that dog owners regularly check ties and runs to make sure the pets cannot get loose.

He also asked owners to make sure that collars have enough information for people to trace them to their owner.