Large dogs roaming villages shot dead by police

A Tibetan mastiff and another large dog were shot to death by special policeman, as the unaccompanied animals roamed the streets of a village in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, on Tuesday morning.

The officers had attempted to tranquilize the dogs but failed after residents spotted them running free on the streets of Xinjian village in Tongshan county.

A villager surnamed Wang explained he called police after the meter-long mastiff and his smaller, yellow-hared companion began approaching him on a street around 6 am.

When banging a piece of scrap iron on the ground failed to scare them away, he ran into and hid in a public toilet. The dogs lingered outside for an hour before Wang called police for help.

Urban management officers were dispatched to the scene and attempted to scare the dogs away with their vehicle but were unsuccessful.

Two hours later, officers managed to trap the dogs in a villager's courtyard, where they attempted to sedate them with tranquilizer darts.

After they failed to hit their target, the police shot them with a submachine gun.