The search is on for the owner of three dogs that attacked a woman and her dog outside a Northwest Austin pet store. Unless the owner comes forward, the victim may be forced into a painful and expensive rabies treatment.

"She was in pretty bad shape the first couple of days. She is very banged up and sore," said Leena Murray about her dog, Bailey. Bailey was attacked a week ago while the two were walking into the PetSmart on Research Boulevard and Balcones Woods Drive. Murray says a man pulled into the parking lot with three dogs in his car, including two pit bulls.

"The biggest pit jumped out of the window. The others followed and before I knew it they had jumped on top of her and they were mauling her basically," Murray said.

Bailey's wounds are healing and now the search is on for the dogs' owner who drove off. A police report describes him as a white male, in his mid 20's, 5'11" tall, medium build, with short dark hair, clean shaven, wearing no shirt and shorts, a tattoo on his upper arm and driving a black four door Honda.

Murray wants the dog owner to come forward.

"I'm only human, so I do admit I only want justice for my poor little, Bailey, but I also want to make sure this doesn't happen again. I mean these dogs are dangerous. These attacks were completely unprovoked. So I want these dogs off the street," Murray said.

Murray was also bitten and scratched while trying to rescue her dog. She has until Friday, 10 days after the attack, to find out if the dogs have rabies. Without test results, she may be forced to undergo rabies treatment as a precaution.

"Rabies is a fatal disease which means if you get it you will die," said Dorinda Pulliam, executive director of the Town Lake Animal Shelter.

Besides the possibility of rabies, the City of Austin's Animal Control Department wants to hold the dog owner responsible for what happened.

"We don't want to have dogs out there hurting other animals and hurting people," said Pulliam.

Time is running out before Murray has to start rabies treatment. She is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the owner whose dogs attacked her and her dog, Bailey.