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Patti Minauro and her husband, Tony, initially spotted the rottweiler as they turned onto Huron Bay Blvd from M-25 Sunday afternoon.

When they pulled into the driveway of their house in the 7400 block, they joked about watching out for "Cujo", the name of a rabid dog from a Stephen King book.

The laughter ended when Patti tried to get out of the van.

"I was opening my door to see where dog was. There he was (on the front porch) ...He was actually guarding our door."

She said the animal appeared to be in an "attack stance, like it was going to lunge at you. Growling and barking that huge bark. We just pulled the door closed."

She continued, "I rolled down my window and said, ‘go home doggy'. He wasn't going. Anytime we made any movement he started growling and barking."

The couple called 911.

Deputy Sheriff Greg Barker and Sgt. Charlene Washkevich responded to the Lexington Heights address.

Barker approached the dog with care, Pattie recalled.

"He extended his hand, so the dog could sniff and nose his hand.," she said. The animal "let him ...pet his head, pet his back, never acted aggressive."

The deputy took hold of what appeared to be a broken strap near the collar, and "tried to walk the dog (off the porch)," she said. "He took a couple steps back and the dog went from passive to extremely aggressive and lunged at him. There was blood all over. We were thankful the officer didn't go down. He let go, backed up toward the gate."

A video-tape of the attack, shot by Patti from inside the van, showed the deputy petting the dog and then taking a few steps when the dog started biting his hands and arms.

Barker used a taser to try to subdue the dog. The animal was later handled by animal control officer Jim Matson, who dropped a pole-snare around the dog's neck and placed the animal in his truck. The dog was transported to the animal control department.

Matson said the dog was still "agitated" on Monday morning. He said he wanted to talk to the owner and the court before deciding what to do with the animal.

According to Sgt. Robert Willis, the owner lives in an apartment in St. Clair, and has been keeping the animal at a friend's residence in the 7300 block of Birchcrest in Lexington Heights - about four blocks from the Minauros. When the animal got loose on Sunday, the dog-sitter thought it had gone to St. Clair, said Willis.

Barker was treated at a hospital and released.

The incident occurred around 3:20 p.m.