Sending a police dog after an unarmed suspect is basically the same as if they were shooting at her with their pistol. Those dogs can easily disfigure, cripple, or kill whomever they attack.
You are correct that a strong police dog can maim a perp the dog is trying to retain.
I watched a lot of Live PD before “woke” A&E dropped it. Every K9 handler repeatedly warned suspects they would “send the dog”. I don’t mean 2 or three times. I mean dozens of times. The would just keep repeating “stop or I will send the dog”, “get down or I will send the dog”. Smart ones immediately complied. Stupid ones got badly bitten. This young lady got bitten. It is a shame.