Justice John Burns on Friday jailed Millard for nearly five years as he delivered a bleak assessment of the man, describing him as a "thoroughly dishonest person" who had shown no remorse and who had little prospects of rehabilitation.

In June last year Millard, 36, stole a disabled woman's mobility scooter from the shops. When uniformed police went to his door on July 1 last year to question him about the stolen scooter, he opened the screen door to let his vicious pitbull terrier out with no attempt to restrain him.

The dog launched a savage attack on the female constable, causing her colleagues to shoot at the dog and fire pepper spray at it in an attempt to stop the attack while Millard did nothing.

The constable was horribly injured in the attack and spent days in hospital waiting for surgery and more than 100 stitches. Her calf had been ripped from the bone and the bite had severed a nerve in her hand.

In an emotional victim impact statement read to court during a sentence hearing last month, the constable said the attack threatened to derail her childhood dreams of becoming an operational police officer.

She continues to suffer physically and mentally.

A terrifying recording of the attack was played to court on the last occasion. Justice John Burns said he was satisfied Millard had been recorded saying "go, go, go" to the dog and not "no, no, no" as he had tried to argue.

Justice Burns turned to other evidence to support that conclusion, including a recorded conversation with his former girlfriend from jail. Millard had told the woman that he had said "go Buddy" and "good dog".

Justice Burns said Millard found Millard intended for the dog to attack police. He had taken no steps to gain control of the dog before opening the screen door. The attack only ended when a neighbour grabbed the dog and secured it.

The dog has since been euthanised.

Justice Burns said Millard is a "thoroughly dishonest person" and lied about the victim opening the screen door.

He wrote a self-serving letter of "apology" that the judge said was nothing more than an attempt to minimise his conduct.

It was a seriously aggravating factor that the constable was a police officer acting in her duties when the attack happened, he said.

Millard pleaded guilty to the theft and to the charge of causing grievous bodily harm, the latter of which carries a maximum penalty of five years' jail.

Justice Burns jailed Millard for four years and nine months, setting a non-parole term of three years and eight months.

He will be eligible for release in February 2022.