The Bridge Where Dogs Jump
For decades, dogs walking across an old stone bridge in Scotland have suddenly leapt over the side into the ravine below, always from the same spot.
What was reported
Overtoun Bridge is a Victorian stone bridge leading to Overtoun House, near Dumbarton, crossing a ravine about 15 metres deep. Since around the 1950s, many dogs have jumped from it, apparently without warning, nearly always from the same side and from between the same last two parapets.
Some dogs have been hurt or killed, and some that survived are said to have returned to jump again. Locals came to call it a cursed bridge, and stories grew of a 'thin place' between worlds.
Explanations offered
In 2006, an animal behaviour expert suggested the dogs were attracted by a strong scent from below, perhaps from mink, which live in the ravine. Dogs can't see the drop from the parapet, which blocks their view, so a strong smell may lead them to leap. A warning sign now asks owners to keep their dogs on a lead.
- When
- Reported since the 1950s
- Where
- Overtoun Bridge, near Dumbarton, Scotland, UK
- Witnesses
- Dog owners and local people
- Status
- Partly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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