Published Wednesday, 01 February 2012
Officers were responding to reports of a dangerous dog in the Oakley Street area of the city at shortly before 1.30am on Wednesday.
A man had fallen down the stairs and was lying unconscious on the floor.
The man who owns the house, and does not want to be identified, described what happened when police arrived at the door, where they found the dog attacking the man who had collapsed.
"I saw three police landrovers in the street," he told UTV. "They asked if it was his dog.
"The policewoman went to the dog and it snapped at her."
The officer, who had joined the uniformed section just before Christmas, was attacked by the Rottweiler and it bit her on the hand.
The dog was tasered and brought under control, before being taken - uninjured - into the care of the dog warden.
"It yapped and barked and ran into the street and police ran after it," the man said.
The injured man was taken to hospital where his condition is not believed to be life-threatening.
The policewoman underwent surgery on Wednesday morning and will meet with surgeons again later on the same day.
Chief Inspector Andy Freeburn commended the bravery of his officers.
"She is a young woman who joined the Police Service of Northern Ireland to protect communities and that's exactly what she was doing last night.
"The very fact that she stepped in and put her own life so readily at risk, I'm just humbled at the bravery shown by officers," he said.
It is not yet clear who owns the dog, but it is not believed to be associated to the house it was in.
As a Taser was discharged at the scene, the Police Ombudsman's office has been informed.
A council spokeswoman said: "The council are investigating the incident and will work with police regarding the matter."