Overtoun Bridge Dog Suicides

Of all the things I expected to learn about from Cracked.com, the intriguing mystery of Scotland's Overtoun bridge was the last thing on my mind.  Starting in the 1950s or 1960s, dogs began throwing themselves off the Overtoun Bridge, to their death on the rocks or rushing river far below.  

The count varies from 50 dogs to 600 dogs having committed suicide since then, depending on who's doing the counting.  The most recent death was Ben, a collie who flung himself over the side while on a walk with his family in 2005.  Ben landed on the rocks below, and had to be euthanized due to his injuries.  A few dogs have survived the fall, only to leap off the bridge later.  Residents of the nearby town of Dumbarton refer to these dogs as "second timers."

Most of the dog suicides have taken place on clear, sunny, still days - a rarity for this part of Scotland.  Most of the dogs involved have been long-nosed breeds such as collies and retrievers.  (Although I can't help but point out that most pet dogs - particularly those likely to be taken for an off-leash walk in rural Scotland - fit that description.)  Most of the deaths have occurred at the same place, between two particular parapets on the right side of the bridge as you approach the estate.

A lot of theories have been advanced, since the Overtoun Dog Suicide Bridge crept into the public eye.  One of the most lurid rumors involves a man who has since been "sectioned" (the UK term for being institutionalized at a psychiatric facility) who dropped his infant son off the bridge at nearly the same spot.  This legend has it that the dogs see the ghost of the event, and leap off the bridge in an attempt to save the baby.

A canine psychologist traveled out to investigate the Overtoun Bridge.  He observed that if you are a dog, you don't necessarily realize that you're far over a long drop when you're crossing the bridge.  The approach to the bridge is gentle, and the land doesn't drop off until you're well along the bridge.  Furthermore, the sides of the bridge are solid stone, so if you're at a dog's height, you can't see over the edge.  A dog that lept towards something might not realize its error until it was too late, and momentum had carried it over the edge.

The canine psychologist put together another bit of Scottish trivia, which is that minks were introduce to the area at about the same time that dogs began to throw themselves off the bridge.  Indeed, minks were found to be nesting below the bridge.  

I can't say whether all dogs have an instinctive hatred of minks. But I can say that the one time I tried using genuine mink oil on my shoes, my dog - not an aggressive soul ordinarily - shot right for them with murder in his eyes.  I can easily believe that if those shoes had been over the edge of a bridge, he would have flung himself right off the parapet in his eagerness to attack.