The Doggie Suicide Bridge

By 2005 in Dunbarton, Scotland, the town had been plagued by a mystery for more than fifty years. Sometimes when dogs crossed Overtoun Bridge they leaped off it occasionally with deadly results. Even when the dog had jumped once he would jump again if given the chance.  In the early 1900s, a castle overlooking the bridge was home to an aristocratic couple Baron John Overtoun and his wife Grace who were very much in love with each other. When John fell ill and died, Grace spent her remaining years walking back and forth across the bridge until her death in 1931.  

In the 1950's dogs suddenly started leaping off of the bridge and people said they could see the ghost of Lady Overton on the bridge. It was said that she wanted the dog's owners to be as miserable as she was.  

Further talk of the paranormal was increased when in 1994 a man threw his two-week old son over the bridge because he believed that he was the Anti-Christ and his son was Satan and they were responsible for the Gulf War and were going to destroy the world with a virus and by killing both of them he was saving the world. He tried to follow his son but his wife had stopped him. It was believed that there was some magnetic force or supernatural reason for this bridge to be causing so much death.  

In 2005, scientist David Sands was enlisted by the Scottish Society of the Prevention and Cruelty to Animals to get to the bottom of this mystery.   He read old newspaper accounts and notices that they all have one thing in common: they are all long-nosed breeds such as pointers, collies, or retrievers.  These dogs all have a more superior sense of smell.  He believed they were being lured off the bridge by some scent.  When he looked under the bridge he found squirrels, rabbits, and other common animals, but nothing capable of luring a dog off the bridge.  Then he stumbles across a burrow of mink which have a strong odor that would be irresistible to dogs and they would have been unable to control themselves and therefore would have jumped off the bridge to get to it.  

To prevent further incidents the town has put up signs on the bridge warning owners to keep dogs on a leash. Since then there have been no more leaps over the bridge.  Though people still question whether there is a supernatural aspect to the bridge.