The Dog Suicide Bridge
Overtoun, Scotland
Residents of Dumbarton, which is northwest of
Glasgow began calling Overtoun, a century-old bridge that stretches across a
50 ft gorge, the “dog suicide bridge” since the 1960s.
In
a country filled with superstitions, myths, and monsters – residents of the area
are asking why do so many dogs jump off the bridge. Local researchers estimate
more than 300 dogs have jumped off the bridge;
at least 50 dogs are said to have died.
Some
say there are rational explanations involving the terrain and the scent of other
mammals in the gorge that may drive the dogs into a frenzy. Other explanations
take on a more paranormal explanation.
The
bridge’s location fits the description of what the pagan Celts called a “thin
place”, a mesmerizing spot where heaven and earth overlap.
The dog suicide leaps
inspired an episode of the Science Channel's, THE UNEXPLAINED FILES, Scottish bridge leads dogs to their death in
2014.
From
a distance, it seems as if the ornate Victorian bridge, 1895, is an extension
of the driveway of an adjoining 19th-century manor built in Dumbarton by a
wealthy industrialist, James White. The bridge’s three archways span a small
river, the Overtoun Burn. Standing in the middle, on the bridge’s
blackened granite parapets, it is easy to forget that space beneath falls
away into the deep gorge.
Bob
Hill, the current tenant in the manor said for the last 17 years he and
his wife had seen several dogs suddenly dive off the bridge since they moved
into the property, now called Overtoun House.
But
Hill, a pastor from Texas who runs a local crisis center for women, has an
earthbound explanation: the smell of small animals scurrying around in the
gorge below the bridge drives the dogs into a frenzy, then they break free of
leashes – if they’re on any – and jump. “The dogs catch the scent of mink, pine
martens or some other mammal, and then they will jump up on the wall of the
bridge,” Hill says. “And because the wall is tapered, they will just topple
over.” He feels, the Overtoun grounds are...“more spiritual than other parts”.
Paul
Owens, a teacher of religion and philosophy in Glasgow, grew up in a town close
to the bridge and recently published a book about the mystery. When it comes to
an explanation for the leaping dogs, he is firmly in the supernatural camp. “After
11 years of research, I’m convinced it’s a ghost that is behind all of this,” he
said while sitting outside a pub on a drizzly day in Glasgow.
Owens’ theory is popular among some local residents, who grew up hearing stories about
the “White Lady of Overtoun”, also known as the grieving widow of John White.
In
2010, animal behaviorist David Sands investigated the phenomenon and ruled out
the possibility that the animals were deliberately killing themselves. His
experiments at the bridge found that dogs – especially long-nosed breeds – were
drawn to the scent of mammals below. Sands theorized that the dogs’ limited
perspective, their ignorance that the path changes from level ground to a
bridge spanning a deep gorge, and the smells wafting through the air probably
enticed the dogs to jump. But even he acknowledged that the bridge has a
“strange feeling”.
Some
residents found his theory plausible, but many people question why the phenomenon does not occur at
the same rate at other bridges in Britain where mammals roam below. Despite the
macabre reputation, the Overtoun grounds remain a popular dog-walking area, and
many of the animals are off-leash. “Many people don’t believe in the story
until they see it for themselves, and even then they don’t think it will happen
to them,” says Hill.
One
day, Emma Dunlop, who says she had heard “the horror stories”, took her Labrador
retriever Ginger for a walk to Overtoun anyway. She did not let him
out of her station wagon until he was on a leash. “He’s never tried to jump,”
she says, “but sometimes he freezes or hesitates when he gets on the bridge, so
I’m always careful.”
Ginger
jumped from the car, raced around his owner, and headed straight
towards Overtoun Bridge, crossing it without any hesitation. But then
Ginger froze, looking back intently at something on the bridge, but there was
nothing or no one to be seen by human eyes.
