Christina Hall

Detroit Free Press

DETROIT — A woman mauled by her son's pit bull at their Michigan home went to let the dog out of its crate when it attacked her without provocation, then turned its aggression on her boyfriend, police said Tuesday.

The woman and her boyfriend are improving from bites to their arms and faces suffered in the Sunday night attack. Roseville (Mich.) Police Chief James Berlin said Tuesday that authorities are expecting to turn their investigation over to the Macomb County (Mich.) Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday for review of possible charges.

On Monday, police initially said the couple was married and the parents of the son.

The condition of the 52-year-old woman was upgraded to good and she is expected to be released from the hospital in a day or two, Berlin said. Her boyfriend, 51, underwent extensive surgery to repair some of the damage on his arms from the attack. He is in serious condition, but will need several more surgeries to correct the damage, Berlin said in a release.

Related:Parents mauled by son's pit bull were attacked by dog before

He said the couple had been out for the evening and when they returned to their Roseville home, the woman went to let the dog out of his crate. When she did, the dog apparently attacked her without warning. Her boyfriend came to her aid and the dog turned on him, mauling him extensively, police said.

Roseville is about 18 miles north of Detroit.

The dog in question, a 1-year-old male pit bull, was euthanized Monday and tissue samples were sent to a lab to ensure it did not have rabies or other communicable diseases.

Berlin said Monday that the couple also was attacked two weeks ago in the home by the dog when the woman was going to feed the dog, which was in a crate. She was hospitalized in the earlier incident and her boyfriend was treated for dog bites and released. Berlin said the woman's 28-year-old son, who owns the dog, was issued two tickets at the time, but the dog continued to remain in the home.

Related:Ore. woman, pet injured in 'horrific' dog attack

Then Sunday night, the dog again attacked the couple while the son was away, Berlin said. Both had bites to their arms and faces. Berlin has not released the victims' names, but said they and the woman's son live together in the home.

Berlin said the son was cited in Roseville District Court for harboring a vicious animal and failure to license his dog, both misdemeanors, after the incident two weeks ago. The son didn't do anything or get rid of the dog, Berlin said, adding that the son wasn't home during either attack. He has not been named because he has not been charged.

In Sunday's incident, police had to use a Taser to incapacitate the aggressive dog long enough to remove the boyfriend, who was lying unconscious on the living room floor with bleeding wounds. Officers were met outside by his girlfriend, who was covered in blood. She had bites to her arms, face and head, police said.

Related:Woman killed by her own dogs

Officers went to the front of the house, where a neighbor was at the front door yelling at the dog to get away. When officers approached, they saw the man inside. The dog suspected in the attack was present and was "extremely aggressive not allowing emergency personnel into the home to extricate the victim," police said.

An officer began to pound on the back door to distract the dog. The dog went to the rear door and when he did, officers and paramedics entered the home and began to take the man out of the home.

The dog returned to the living room and officers — fearing for the safety of themselves, the victim and fire personnel — shocked the dog with a Taser, incapacitating it long enough to remove the victim, police said.

The dog suspected in the mauling and another dog present in the home, also believed to be a pit bull, were taken by the county's animal control officers. Berlin said investigators want to try to talk with the victims to determine whether that dog played any role in the attack.

Follow Christina Hall on Twitter: @challreporter