The mysterious bridge in Scotland where dogs commit suicide

It's in the city of Dumbarton and no one knows why dogs are jumping to death.

For the nearly 20,000 residents of Dumbarton, the story of the Overtoun is 100% true. For visitors, however, it's more like a legend than a real one. However, there is something. The famous bridge, built a century ago and extending over 15 meters, is the place chosen by the dogs of the region to commit suicide. Chance? Myth? Or just a coincidence without explanation?

Located northwest of Glasgow, Scotland, Dumbarton is renowned for the quality of its whiskey and for the Dumbarton Castle, which was used to imprison William Wallaced for a short time after his capture by the English.

But in recent years, his name has also begun to be heard by the hundreds of animals that have suddenly fallen or tried to do it, from the gothic stone structure to the craggy rocks at the bottom of the little river Overtoun Burn.

Beyond the breeds, the memory of the owners of the dogs that jumped coincides: they remain frozen and then possess a strange energy that makes them run desperately towards their fatal destiny.

The researchers, according to the New York Times, estimate that more than 300 dogs have been thrown off the bridge. The Dumbarton newspapers, however, claim that there have been more than 600 cases, of which at least 50 would have died instantly.

L & # 39; s explanation? Nobody has it. One of the strongest hypotheses is that dogs are "hypnotized" by the strong smell of mammals and, after this track, jump. Although there are other paranormal explanations that even involve ghosts.

According to a Texas pastor, the smell of small animals rushing into the ravine, under the bridge, drives the dogs into a frenzy that frees them from their leashes and allows them to jump. "Dogs catch the smell of mink or another mammal and then jump," he says. Paul Owens, professor of religion and philosophy in Glasgow, is "convinced" that there is "a ghost".

The inhabitants of Dumbarton, meanwhile, support Owens' theory, especially because they grew up listening to stories about the "White Lady of Overtoun", the afflicted widow of John White, son of James. This woman lived alone for more than 30 years when her husband died in 1908 and her specter would have traveled the region ever since.

The three-arched Victorian bridge, built in 1895 and spanning the River Overtoun Burn, is an extension of the alley of a 19th century mansion built in Dumbarton by a wealthy industrialist.

Source: The Vanguardia