Editor's note: The Albany County District Attorney's Office only confirmed a man was arrested in connection with the case. In addition, a third puppy died due to injuries, but was not euthanized.

ALBANY – Hudson and Pearl, the railroad puppies, may yet see their day in court.

Police have arrested an Albany man in connection with the three pit bull pups found last fall, the Albany County District Attorney's office said.

The puppies were found beaten, starved and altogether nearing death alongside rail road tracks in Arbor Hill, authorities said at the time.

The 3-week-old puppies were found by railroad workers, just barely alive, on Sept. 8. One of the puppies died shortly afterward due to the severity of her condition. Hudson and Pearl, the remaining two, were adopted in December — Hudson fitted with a prosthetic paw after a hole pierced his own paw, forcing amputation; Pearl missing two toes.

Anthony Walker, 30, was arrested on Jan. 14 and charged with abandonment of a disabled animal, a misdemeanor, in connection with the case. Police said the months-long investigation into the apparent puppy mutilation revealed that "what occurred that evening does not appear to have happened the way it was initially portrayed."

Neither police nor the district attorney's office would comment further on the case, citing the investigation.

In September, the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, which initially took in the puppies, said that the dogs had been clearly abused and possibly even nailed to the railroad tracks.

The Humane Society announced in September that it would award $7,000 to anyone who could give police information leading to an arrest in the case.

"Someone who would do this is a danger to everyone," said Humane Society director Brad Shear, on Thursday.

All three dogs were dehydrated, malnourished, hypoglycemic and suffering from infection when they arrived at the shelter in September. Hudson and Pearl, named for roads near where they were found, were kept at the shelter for several months as they recovered. Eventually, each puppy found a home after hundreds entered an essay contest to adopt the pups.

Hudson and Pearl have seemingly recovered to full health and gone on to live relatively normal puppy lives. Hudson, 5 months old, already outgrew his first prosthetic paw and received a new one last week. The two even share a Facebook page (with 1,300 "likes") on which fans can keep up with their progress.

Shear said finding the perpetrator of the puppies' mutilation was, from the start, a monumental task – such criminals are rarely caught. "When it first happened," he said, "I didn't think there was much chance of finding anyone."

kbrown@timesunion.com • 518-454-5035 • @kristenvbrown