The Claim

There’s a bridge that makes dogs kill themselves

 

Now this one borderlines on a ghost story, but the odd thing is that there have been many documented cases of the this happening. Overtoun bridge in a reasonably small bridge crossing a river in west Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Built in 1895 on the orders of Lord Overtoun who was sick of taking the long way round to the next bridge, decided to build one of his own to shorten his travelling distance.

 

Designed by architect H.E. Milner, it was completed in June of 1895 and consisted of a large central arch with 2 smaller pedestrian arch’s on both sides. The thing is this bridge is just a normal bridge, it was built in a normal way and there were no tragedies or anything significant to separate it from any other bridge in the area, so the reason for the “incidents” tat occur here is a complete mystery.

 

Since people started to record it in the 1950’s, there have been more than 50 dogs leap to their deaths off this bridge, and apparently always in the same spot. The dogs simply walk to one of the smaller pedestrian arch’s and hop right over the edge, falling 50 feet onto the rivers exposed bedrock.

 

This apparently only happens in clear weather and with breeds that have long snouts, which has prompted some theories as to why its happening. One such explanation is that the dogs smell mink urine in the water below, and since there’s overhanging branch’s near the arch’s, the dogs see it as a slope instead of a vertical drop.

 

I personally don’t believe that as for one thing local residents have confirmed there aren’t any mink in the area, and also one of my past dogs was probably the dumbest dog you could find. He did some pretty stupid stuff but in all the times we walked through the countryside over bridges and round cliffs, not once did he think “hey that looks like a cool place to launch myself off”.

 

This bridge had received international attention, being featured in countless magazines and broadcasts round the world, so the big question is why is it happening. No one has come up with a satisfying answer yet to explain why its this particular bridge and not the hundreds of other ones spread across Scotland.

 

There are of course all the usual paranormal stories, such as the architect made a deal with the devil to finish the bridge at the exchange of animal lives which he takes every year, and a ghost luring them off the bridge somehow, perhaps with a spectral dog chew. It seems that no one can prove anything here, but because the dog deaths are rather well document, it separates this one from all the other ghost stories out there.