Editor's Note:

Are you up on what the hundreds of millions of Chinese netizens are talking about? Take a moment and get the rundown of what's hot, what's trending, and what's drawing the most buzz on the Chinese blogosphere.

Police shoot, kill 5 escaped Tibetan mastiffs that attacked villagers

Police in Jiangsu Province armed with submachine guns shot and killed five escaped Tibetan mastiffs they said attacked villagers and mauled livestock, the Modern Express reported Monday.

Haimen police responded to calls on Friday afternoon. The five dogs are accused of biting three villagers and killing more than 20 chickens in the area, media reported.

The largest of the dogs weighed nearly 50 kilograms, said police.

"The dogs were aggressively attacking people. I called police and followed one mastiff," said one witness. 

It is unclear from reports how the dogs escaped.

Officers contacted the owner, surnamed Liu, 43, who was not in the area at the time.

Authorities gained Liu's consent to stop the animals with deadly force, read the report.

A group of armed police chased the animals with submachine guns while warning residents to evacuate the area.

More than 20 shots were fired to stop the mastiffs and another 10 to kill them, read the report.

It is illegal in many cities in China to own Tibetan mastiffs in central or downtown areas.

Many netizens blamed the dog owner for keeping the animals in residential areas.

 "It's not the dogs' fault … one shouldn't own large mastiffs in densely populated areas," wrote "wuyilongxiangwenshen" on Sina Weibo.

Others questioned why police did not use tranquilizers to sedate the dogs.

Six Tibetan mastiff attacks were reported in June 2013 alone, one of which included a 3-year-old girl who was bitten to death in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province.