The Overtoun Bridge near Dunbarton, Scotland was completed in 1895. Since then, this bridge designed by civil engineer H.E. Milner has attracted numerous visitors. On two feet as well as four.
Besides its picturesque quality, the bridge has also drawn the interest of international media, scholars, and scientists due to the fact that for years about 600 dogs have jumped off the bridge and nearly 50 dogs have died after falling 50 feet to the rocks below. No one knows why.
Locals in West Dunbartonshire believe that this phenomenon is because of the spirit of Lady Overtoun, who was said to have wandered the bridge grief-stricken when Baron Overtoun died in 1908. Many claim to have seen the lady's spirit on the grounds for over 100 years after her death.
"I was standing there two years ago when I felt a firm, hard prod that felt like a finger. Something or someone was trying to push me over the bridge too, just like the dogs," said Paul Owens, religion and philosophy teacher from Glasgow.
Whether you believe in hauntings or not, it is somewhat baffling to think that numerous dogs have jumped off the bridge because a spirit compelled them to do so. Studies have shown that some dogs that survived the 50-foot drop onto the waterfalls and rocks below jump off again when taken back to the bridge. This raises the question: what exactly is motivating all these dogs to leap into the unknown below?
To find out what is driving all these dogs to jump to their deaths, leading animal behaviorist Dr. David Sands was called on to investigate the matter. He found that the dogs most likely to jump off the bridge were all breeds with long snouts.
This led him to theorize that the strong scent of mink coming off from below the bridge might be a major influence that draws the dogs to jump. It might sound too simplistic a reason for such bizarre behavior but, according to other consultants, dogs do not have suicidal thoughts. There must be a sensory stimulus that is compelling them to take that leap.
Even if scientists have weighed in with their own findings, dog owners like Alice Trevorrow, a nurse who witnessed her three-year-old springer spaniel Cassie jump off the bridge, is convinced that there are supernatural forces at work.
"I had parked up and, as she is so obedient, didn't put her lead on. Me and my son Thomas, who was 24 at the time, walked towards Cassie, who was staring at something above the bridge. What it was I won't ever know, but she definitely saw something that made her jump," she said.
A sign that reads "Please keep your dogs on a lead" has been placed on the bridge to warn dog owners to keep vigilant over their beloved pooches.
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