Footage has been released of a drunken yob punching a police dog coming to her handler's rescue when he was attacked while on patrol.
Despite being attacked and injured, brave dog Sapphire managed to hold down the man.
In the clip, the heroic pup tackled the ruffian - who had also assaulted her handler at one of Hull 's nightlife hotspots - and made sure he was arrested.
Humberside Police has released the video in the run-up to Christmas to raise awareness of the dangerous situations police officers and emergency colleagues face on a daily basis - especially when alcohol is involved.
In the clip, which was shared on Twitter, PD Sapphire can be seen assisting her handler, PC Steve Matthews.
The pair are seen attending to a group of individuals, who were under the influence of alcohol and arguing on Dagger Lane in Old Town at around 2.40am during September last year.
The footage shows PC Matthews going up to the group to calm them down, but is shockingly punched in the face by one of the men.
The cop then rushes to his car, where he can be seen releasing Sapphire from the boot - who immediately chases the suspect pushes him onto the ground.
Bravely, she straight away stands by her handler's side as he tries to control the yob, who can be seen shoving PC Matthews about.
As the policeman gets a hold of the situation, Sapphire holds back the rest of the group. However, she was sadly injured and suffered from a leg injury.
Following the incident, PC Matthews was also left temporarily blinded in his left eye, after being repeatedly punched in the face.
But both have now made a full recovery.
Posting the video on Twitter, PC Matthews said: “Sapphire was punched a few times and had a grazed front leg. She was fine but saw a vet as a precaution.
"I had concussion from the punch and multiple other punches afterwards and had blurry vision in my eye for a few hours but we were both back at work after our routine days off.
“The male involved was charged with an assault on bar staff (not captured in footage) the assault on myself, an assault on Sapphire and a further assault on an officer who took him to hospital who he fought with and tried to bite his hand.
“He was found guilty of all charges with the exception of the assault on Sapphire. He was handed a 26 week suspended sentence and a total of £1200 costs.
“As with all dog deployments of this nature, the incident was independently investigated and I was subject to that investigation. It was independently found I had acted within the law and no action was taken."
Superintendent Lee Edwards said the footage showed how Christmas nights out can descend into violence if people consume too much.
He said: “We know for so many of you Christmas is a happy and memorable time of year as families, friends and colleagues come together to celebrate and have a ‘merry’ Christmas over a drink or two.
"Whilst we really want our communities to have a joyful Christmas, it is really important that you do so safely when heading out to celebrate, and I want to make exceptionally clear that any type of assault on our officers and staff will never be tolerated and is wholly unacceptable.
“Police officers, security staff, emergency workers and working dogs /animals expose themselves to increased risks every day to ensure they keep the public safe. We will always run towards danger as part of our duty and service to protect people and we should not have to endure or experience any form of violence.
The superintendent added: “We will never tolerate the actions of anyone who thinks this type of behaviour is acceptable and will always look to take action and seek prosecution for those individuals who commit such offences.”
