Prairieburg - Linn County Sheriff's deputies are investigating after someone poisoned six pets in town.

Pet owners say eight to ten meatballs laced with the poison strychnine were placed inside kennels and left outside some homes on East Main Street.

"[Veterinarians] said it was a former rat poison that's fast acting. It can hit in ten minutes to two hours," said dog owner, Bryce Plower.

Plower's dog, Gucci, was killed by the tainted meat early Thursday morning. His other dog, Beckett, was also showing symptoms and being monitored.

"It causes their muscles to stop working. Then it causes their diaphragm to go into a nervous shock. It causes them to breathe heavy and make their heart race," said Plower.

In all, five dogs and one cat ate the tainted meat. Including Gucci, one other dog, a yellow lab named Sugar, have since died.

Sugar's owner, Crystal Marsh, had to watch as her dog suffered through the ordeal. She couldn't figure out why someone would target her pets.

"I don't know if it's just somebody randomly coming and doing it, or if somebody has a grudge. I really don't know. I just wish I there was a problem somebody would come to us," said Marsh.

Following the instruction of a veterinarian, friends and neighbors tried to save Sugar by squirting peroxide down the dog's throat to regurgitate the poison. It didn't work, leaving many in the neighborhood like neighbor Mary Drexler feeling angry and wanting justice.

"Honestly, it's bull crap. Somebody needs to fess up and say 'hey, we did it'," said Drexler.