Photo: AlamyIt’s a mystery that has plagued the superstitious town of Dumbarton, Scotland, since the 1950s: why do dogs jump from Overtoun Bridge?According toThe New York Times, numerous dogs — reportedly up to 600 canines — have inexplicable thrown themselves from Overtoun, which has earned the name “Dog Suicide Bridge,” and dozens have died from the subsequent fall to the rocks below.Numerous explanations have been offered over the decades for why the bridge has seemingly compelled dogs to jump down into the gorge it covers.“People in Dumbarton are very superstitious,” Alastair Dutton, a Dumbarton resident toldThe New York Times. “We grew up playing in the Overtoun grounds, and we believe in ghosts here because we’ve all seen or felt spirits up here.”Several locals told the paper that they believe ghosts are responsible for the bridge’s infamy, while others suggested it could be a “thin place” — a location where Celtic Christians believe heaven and Earth overlap, reportsThe Guardian.According toAtlas Obscura, the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sent experts to the area in search for answers, but they didn’t come away with anything conclusive.Those who don’t believe in a supernatural explanation, suspect small mammals, like minks, mark the rocks below the bridge and that this enticing scent, mixed with the bridge’s high, walls which prevent dogs from seeing the drop, could be sending dogs over the edge.An animal behaviorist named David Sands, who also investigated the bridge in search of answers, believes this is the likely explanation behind the structure’s grim reputation, though he admitted Overtoun made him feel strange, reportsThe Telegraph.Even with the bridge’s history, and the mystery that surrounds it, dog owners continue to walk the bridge with their canines, and most make it across without issue.
Photo: Alamy
It’s a mystery that has plagued the superstitious town of Dumbarton, Scotland, since the 1950s: why do dogs jump from Overtoun Bridge?According toThe New York Times, numerous dogs — reportedly up to 600 canines — have inexplicable thrown themselves from Overtoun, which has earned the name “Dog Suicide Bridge,” and dozens have died from the subsequent fall to the rocks below.Numerous explanations have been offered over the decades for why the bridge has seemingly compelled dogs to jump down into the gorge it covers.“People in Dumbarton are very superstitious,” Alastair Dutton, a Dumbarton resident toldThe New York Times. “We grew up playing in the Overtoun grounds, and we believe in ghosts here because we’ve all seen or felt spirits up here.”Several locals told the paper that they believe ghosts are responsible for the bridge’s infamy, while others suggested it could be a “thin place” — a location where Celtic Christians believe heaven and Earth overlap, reportsThe Guardian.According toAtlas Obscura, the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sent experts to the area in search for answers, but they didn’t come away with anything conclusive.Those who don’t believe in a supernatural explanation, suspect small mammals, like minks, mark the rocks below the bridge and that this enticing scent, mixed with the bridge’s high, walls which prevent dogs from seeing the drop, could be sending dogs over the edge.An animal behaviorist named David Sands, who also investigated the bridge in search of answers, believes this is the likely explanation behind the structure’s grim reputation, though he admitted Overtoun made him feel strange, reportsThe Telegraph.Even with the bridge’s history, and the mystery that surrounds it, dog owners continue to walk the bridge with their canines, and most make it across without issue.
It’s a mystery that has plagued the superstitious town of Dumbarton, Scotland, since the 1950s: why do dogs jump from Overtoun Bridge?
According toThe New York Times, numerous dogs — reportedly up to 600 canines — have inexplicable thrown themselves from Overtoun, which has earned the name “Dog Suicide Bridge,” and dozens have died from the subsequent fall to the rocks below.
Numerous explanations have been offered over the decades for why the bridge has seemingly compelled dogs to jump down into the gorge it covers.
“People in Dumbarton are very superstitious,” Alastair Dutton, a Dumbarton resident toldThe New York Times. “We grew up playing in the Overtoun grounds, and we believe in ghosts here because we’ve all seen or felt spirits up here.”
Several locals told the paper that they believe ghosts are responsible for the bridge’s infamy, while others suggested it could be a “thin place” — a location where Celtic Christians believe heaven and Earth overlap, reportsThe Guardian.
According toAtlas Obscura, the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sent experts to the area in search for answers, but they didn’t come away with anything conclusive.
Those who don’t believe in a supernatural explanation, suspect small mammals, like minks, mark the rocks below the bridge and that this enticing scent, mixed with the bridge’s high, walls which prevent dogs from seeing the drop, could be sending dogs over the edge.
An animal behaviorist named David Sands, who also investigated the bridge in search of answers, believes this is the likely explanation behind the structure’s grim reputation, though he admitted Overtoun made him feel strange, reportsThe Telegraph.
Even with the bridge’s history, and the mystery that surrounds it, dog owners continue to walk the bridge with their canines, and most make it across without issue.
source: people.com
