The bridge that makes dogs kill themselves, the Overtoun Bridge

The bridge that makes dogs kill themselves, the Overtoun Bridge

The bridge that makes dogs kill themselves, the Overtoun Bridge. The Overtoun Bridge is a bridge that stands on the Scottish mainland. It was built by a landlord named Lord Overtoun and completed in 1895, along with a landlord's halfway house located not far from the Overtoun Bridge.

The bridge that makes dogs kill themselves, the Overtoun Bridge

This bridge is used as a pedestrian bridge which is still in use today. However, apart from the bridge which is considered busy because it is still functioning properly, this mysterious bridge has a very scary story.

It is said that if you walk your dog across this bridge, your dog will suddenly jump off the bridge and take his death.

Strange story

Okay, that's an absurd story. Unfortunately, it did happen. Hundreds of dogs were recorded making sudden suicide attempts from the bridge, and 50 of them were successful. Of course this raises some prejudice from the population.

Actually what happened on that bridge? Why is this dog so desperate to jump off the bridge even though below is a ravine that can be categorized as an instant kill.

The bridge that makes dogs kill themselves, the Overtoun Bridge

It is true that the position of the bridge with the concrete railings may prevent the pedestrian from knowing that it is a ravine below. However, this does not explain why it is only on this bridge that the phenomenon of dog suicide occurs.

I mean, there are lots and lots of bridges in the world, but the phenomenon of dogs jumping off bridges is the most common on this Overtoun Bridge.

What's more, where the dogs jumped is very specific, that is, between the two of them resting on the right side of the bridge. Yes, that side is the side the dog likes the most to jump on.

Local authorities even put up warning signs for anyone carrying dogs over the bridge to be careful. So many cases have happened.

The Theory

Of course, in studying this phenomenon, several theories have emerged that are believed by the wider community. Here I am going to list three theories which seem to be the most popular among the others.

• The first theory is an invisible whisper

Of course. Every time there is something strange there will definitely be some people who associate it with supernatural things. People said, the dogs received an invisible whisper to jump off the bridge.

The reason why dogs choose to jump from the same angle is because they are trying to reach an invisible figure hovering beside the bridge. Unfortunately, when the dog approached the figure, the figure disappeared and left the dog lured to fall on its own.

From the community's story, this figure is the incarnation of Lady Overtoun, who is said to have frequently visited the bridge. The appearance of his figure is also sometimes seen in and around the Overtoun House.

Controversy with this theory: Prior to writing this article, I watched a documentary about the Bob Hill and Melissa Hill couple. They are a married couple who bought the Overtoun House and have lived there for a dozen years (until now).

They themselves could not believe that the house they were in was haunted because they had not seen Lady Overturn since they lived there.

An interesting fact is that Bob Hill tells the origin of the story about the ghost of Lady Overtoun, who comes from the delinquency of two young men who once climbed to the top of a tower across a bridge and used ropes and cloth to prank people who were crossing the bridge.

Since then, the story of Lady Overtoun or better known as Lady In White has been told intensively. Yes, in other words, Theories relating to the Supernatural are not proven.

• The second theory is about depression in dogs

The second theory is mass depression in dogs. People believe that dogs trying to jump over bridges are mostly bad masters or mistreated. That's why the dogs attempted suicide. This was done spontaneously because they saw an opportunity to jump over the bridge.

Controversy with this theory: Unfortunately this theory is very absurd. Because dogs cannot possibly understand the concept of suicide.

Quoted from psycologytoday.com, to commit suicide must understand the concept of life and death. He must make logic to the idea that the consequences of death are better than the consequences of life.

What's more, a dog's mindset is almost the same as a 2 to 3 year old child and it is impossible to grasp such a complex concept.

Even so, your dog's mindset can still hit a point of depression, at which point it may become so limited that it will stop being interested in things and stop responding. In other words, the canine Depression Theory is completely unsupported by psychology.

• The Third Theory is Rodent Smell

The third theory is the theory that a suicidal dog smells a mouse or a ferret beside the bridge and is interested in looking for it. Unfortunately, they had no idea that jumping off the bridge would send them plunging into the abyss.

David Sexton, an expert on animal habitat science, found that the source of the rodent odor was present and originated under the bridge. After his discovery, he also conducted open-field experiments on how much rodent odor affects dog odors.

In his experiment, he spread the smell of weasels and rats in the open field and released 10 dogs into the field.

The results of the experiment, 7 out of 10 dogs that were there immediately looked for the smell of the weasel. (If you're curious, where the smell of ferrets and rats comes from, the answer is their pee).

David Sexton's conclusion, that the dogs kiss badgers under the bridge and decide to jump, not knowing that there is a ravine below.

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This theory is also corroborated by the case notes which state that most plunging dogs are long-nosed breeds such as Labrador, Collie, Retriever, etc. Long nosed dogs smell more because they have more olfactory glands.

Controversy over this theory: The rebuttal of David Sexon's theory comes from a man named Jon Joyce who is a local hunter. He said that while he was hunting around the bridge, he never found a weasel.

But of course it's the opposite of David Sexon, considering that David Sexon's experiments were carried out after he (David) found the smell of rodents under the bridge.

The bridge that makes dogs kill themselves, the Overtoun Bridge

Well, of course I leave it to the reader to choose which theory is the most correct in your opinion. Regardless, until now the Overturn Bridge is still standing and it is possible that when you read this article, dogs are still crossing the bridge. 

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