24: The Dog Suicide Bridge | Why Have Hundreds of Dogs Jumped?
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Hey, it's your buddy AJ from the Y-Files. And Hecklefish. Right, and Hecklefish. We just wanted to tell you that if you want to start a podcast, Spotify makes it easy. It'd have to be easy for humans to understand it. Will you stop that? I'm just saying. Spotify for Podcasters lets you record and edit podcasts from your computer. I don't have a computer. Do you have a phone? Of course I have a phone. I'm not a savage. Well, with Spotify, you can record podcasts from your phone, too.

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In Dumbarton, Scotland, there's a 19th century Gothic bridge that crosses a 50-foot ravine. It's officially called Overton Bridge, but its unofficial name is the Dog Suicide Bridge. Oh no, do I even have to ask? Since the 1950s, hundreds of dogs have mysteriously jumped off this bridge, and 50 of them died. Let's find out why. ♪

Built in 1895, the ornate bridge leads up to Overton House, a 19th century manor built by wealthy industrialist James White on the outskirts of the village of Milton in the Scottish lowlands. It spans Overton Burn, a deep gorge with a small river. Hundreds of dogs have attempted to commit suicide by jumping off this bridge. Stories about Overton Bridge are all over the internet and have been featured on the TV series The Unexplained Files. There's even an entire book dedicated to this phenomenon.

But despite all this attention, the mystery is still unsolved. So what's going on here? There are those who believe that the suicides are caused by supernatural forces. They point out that the bridge's location fits the description of a thin place, which, according to Celtic pagan beliefs, is a location where heaven and the earth meet. Oh, I'd like to see a video on thin places. That's a good idea.

Another theory blames the White Lady of Overton, who haunts the Overton house. Her husband John died in 1908, leaving the widow to grieve for over 30 years.

And after she died, she became the ghost known as the White Lady of Overton. According to local legend, the White Lady has been seen in the windows of the house and wandering the grounds, still grieving. Another even darker story describes a terrible event that happened in 1994. That year, a 32-year-old father threw his own baby into the gorge below because he was certain that his child was the Antichrist. The baby died the following day and the father was declared insane.

Obviously, and committed to an institution. Locals say the dogs jumped from the same spot where the baby was thrown. They believe there's some kind of supernatural rift that affects dogs' behavior. Now, most animal behaviorists agree that dogs don't commit suicide. Dogs can certainly become depressed, which leads them to waste away and die slowly. But there's no reason a normal, healthy dog would throw itself off a bridge. So what's going on here?

The question is, why this bridge? Why Overton Bridge over all the other bridges that are here in this country? In 2006, Dr. David Sands, a canine psychologist, investigated the bridge. Dr. Sands said the way that the bridge is constructed is probably a factor. The walls of the bridge are about waist high and completely solid. There are also trees and dense greenery that grow higher than the walls. So there are no visual cues for the dogs to realize that they're on a bridge.

or that there's a drop on the other side of the wall. Also, the tops of the walls are tapered so that if a dog jumps on top of one, it's probably going to fall even if it realizes it made a mistake. So this explains why a dog would be unaware that jumping is dangerous.

But why would it try to jump in the first place? Well, Dr. Sands has a theory for that, too. He points out that minks were introduced to Scotland in the 1920s and began breeding in large numbers in the 1950s. This is the same time when the suicide supposedly started. So not only are mink present in the undergrowth under the bridge, but also squirrels, mice, all kinds of forest critters that dogs enjoy. He made me this collar so that I may talk. Squirrel!

My master is good and smart. The theory is the scent of one or more of these animals grabs a dog's attention. Then wanting to chase down the source of the scent, the dog jumps over the wall without realizing the danger. This theory is supported by the fact that all of the incidents appear to happen on dry, sunny days when animal scents carry more clearly. And Scotland doesn't get a lot of dry, sunny days, so it kind of stands out. Dr. Sands performed an experiment to see what scents were most attractive to dogs.

He took ten dogs to a field, and they were of the same breeds that jumped off the bridge. In the field were three containers, each containing an animal scent. Seven of the dogs headed straight to the container containing the mink scent. Like, right to it.

minks emit a strong odor that gets dogs very excited. So the most logical theory is that on sunny days when scents are carrying well, long-nosed dogs are catching a whiff of mink in the undergrowth below the bridge. And in general, with dogs, the longer the nose, the better their sense of smell. So then driven by their instinct to hunt and unaware of the dangerous fall, they jump off the bridge in pursuit of prey. Checks out...

So what we have seems to be a plausible explanation for the Dog Suicide Bridge, but locals aren't buying it. People who visit the Overton Bridge also talk about experiencing a strange feeling when they're there. And some have even said they feel an invisible finger kind of prodding them to the end of the bridge.

And what do you think the jabbing finger was? The White Lady of Overton. When skeptics confront locals about the supernatural theory, many are quick to point out that there are other bridges just like this all over the area with the same characteristics. Yet dogs are not jumping. So what do you think? Have we debunked this story? Or is there something more going on here? Let us know in the comments. I think what's going on is dogs are dumb. Oh, and if anyone knows about a fish suicide bridge, I'd be interested in that. Not funny!

Thanks for hanging out with us today. My name is AJ. That's Hecklefish. This has been the Y-Files. If you had fun or learned anything today, comment, like, subscribe, share. All that stuff really helps out the channel. Until next time, be safe, be kind, and know that you are appreciated.