Scotland has many famous bridges but one, in particular, stands out – and not for the reason you might think. Overtoun Bridge, near the village of Milton, close to Dumbarton, appears at first to look like any Victorian stone bridge you'll come across in many estates across Scotland.
However, appearances can be deceiving and this innocent-looking bridge actually hides a dark secret. Since the 1950s, the bridge has reportedly caused the deaths of over 50 dogs.
Incredibly, it's become so well-known how dangerous it is that people actively avoid walking their dogs near it after stories began to build that the bridge appears to somehow compel dogs to leap from it. The problem has become so severe that to date, it's estimated that hundreds of dogs have reportedly now jumped from it.
With a fall of around 50 feet into the Overtoun burn below, many of the precious pets have died as a result.
Though many have studied the phenomenon, no one has yet come up with a plausible explanation for why it happens. Theories have so far ranged from natural causes such as the potent odour from male mink urine causing the effect to the supernatural, with some blaming the estate's resident ghost, the White Lady, who is said to haunt the nearby Overtoun House.
Over the years, representatives from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA), authors, local hunters and even canine psychologists have tried to find answers.
All the experts seem to be able to agree on is that the affected dogs will mostly jump from the same side of the bridge, in clear weather, and are often long-snouted breeds such as German Shepherds and Scottish Terriers.
Some believe it's a "perfect storm" of factors including exciting smells, the design of the bridge with its tapered edges and the fact the dogs can't see what's on the other side of the wall.
Author and Dumbarton man Paul Owens argues in his book ‘The Baron of Rainbow Bridge: Unravelling Overtoun’s Death Leaping Dog Mystery’, that the bridge is plagued by the supernatural and it is this which causes the canines to leap from the bridge.
Paul told the Lennox Herald in 2018: "With new evidence gathered from teams of psychics, ghost hunters and dowsers who carried out research at the bridge, a new picture of Overtoun is emerging: a supernatural one.
“These findings are consistent with those who have crossed Overtoun Bridge."
Local taxi driver Alastair Dutton agrees, speaking in an article with the New York Times, he said: “People in Dumbarton are very superstitious.
“We grew up playing in the Overtoun grounds, and we believe in ghosts here because we’ve all seen or felt spirits up here.”
One lucky dog, who actually survived the leap, was three-year-old spaniel Cassie who leapt from it in 2014.
Her traumatised owner Alice Trevorrow told the Daily Record at the time: “We had just got out the car and Cassie immediately made her way to the bridge.
"She loves her ball and is normally looking at me waiting for it so it was very uncharacteristic. She turned her head, looked up and did this massive leap.
“I will never forget the awful whine she made as she jumped over.
“My son looked down and all he could see was a dot. She managed to get herself up and met my son, collapsing when she saw him. How she survived that, I’ll never know.”
Cassie miraculously survived the fall and recovered after spending six days in an animal hospital.
A sign now warns dog owners of the "dangerous bridge" reading: "Please keep your dogs on a lead."
What do you think? Coincidence or is it indeed supernatural? Let us know below.
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