BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - A woman who just finished walking her dog in Avondale this morning was attacked when a man apparently followed her home and forced his way inside.

The woman wasn't injured, and was rescued when her husband awoke.

Birmingham police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards said the incident happened at 4:56 a.m. The woman was walking her dog in the 3800 block of Fifth Avenue South.

When she finished and opened the door to her apartment, the assailant forced his way in behind her. He pushed her down and covered her mouth with his hand to keep her from screaming.

The husband was in the bedroom asleep, and heard his wife yelling. He rushed out to the living room, and the two men got into a fight, Edwards said.

While the men were fighting, the woman called 911 and stayed on the phone with a dispatcher until police arrived. The fight moved from the living room to the bedroom, where the husband was able to grab his 12-gauge shotgun.

He held the man at gunpoint until officers arrived. The suspect is in the Birmingham City Jail awaiting formal charges.

Edwards said it appears robbery was the motive.