Zhu's pre-registration of the domain name "512" after a devastating earthquake hit Sichuan province on May 12, 2008 also drew furious online criticism.

Zhu's latest run-in with netizens came after a truck carrying some 500 dogs to Northeast China was stopped by more than 200 animal rights activists on a Beijing expressway, leading to a traffic standoff for 14 hours.

The rescuers paid 115,000 yuan (US$11,716) to buy all the dogs from the driver and dog vendors. The dogs were later transferred to the China Small Animal Protection Association's Bei'anhe base in Beijing.

The incident has sparked a nationwide debate over the consumption of dog meat.

Zhu said the dogs all come from farms that already supply popular hotpot restaurants with dog meat.

"I have to admit my proposed action was kind of extreme," he said. "But their behavior, stopping trucks on the highway, was even more extreme."

As the online criticism continued to mount, Zhu backtracked a little and promised to give up his dog-killing plan if those who blocked the highway to rescue the dogs apologized for their improper behavior and published online how the donated money is used.

"If they can persuade me by explaining how the money is used, I will not kill the dogs," he said.