3 p.m. story update

Lawrence police say they have located the owner of the dog involved in the incident, and they were able to provide the appropriate vaccination information.

A police spokesman said it’s not clear if the victim in the case received the information before any rabies vaccination shots were administered.

Original story

A woman who was bitten by a dog on Wednesday is trying to track down the dog and its owner because she is about to start a series of painful rabies shots.

The woman’s family is urging anyone with information about the dog or the attack to call Animal Control at (785) 832-7590 or Laurie Peter, the woman’s sister, at (908) 500-8438.

The dog needs to be found so that officials can determine its rabies immunization status.

Flyers are being handed out that say, “The woman was bitten and will have to endure the series of painful, grueling shots beginning at noon today, Thursday, Nov. 29 if we do not find out the rabies immunization status of this dog.”

The woman was walking her small leashed dog near the Briarwood Development on the Folks Street sidewalk around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

A man with two large dogs, which were running free, was in the area. One of the dogs, which appeared to be a Rottweiler mix, attacked the woman’s dog and bit the woman on the thumb. The small dog received three puncture wounds and is recovering, Peter said.

The man was described as white with medium build and short black hair, probably in his 20s or 30s. The man got the dog off the smaller dog and then walked away, Peter said.

Even if the woman starts the rabies shots today there is still a chance she will not have to undergo the entire series of shots if the dog’s status can be determined in a timely manner, Peter said.