There are plenty of haunted bridges out there. They’re usually accompanied by urban legends of murders, accidents, and suicides. Bridges are symbols of crossing over, linking two places, and spanning the abyss of the unknown. That makes them perfect homes for haunted souls, but all the tales that we know and love involve humans.
The Overtoun Bridge in Scotland, however, is home to an entirely different kind of haunting. For one thing, it’s actually been recorded, and for another, it involves dogs.
The Overtoun Bridge is located near Overtoun House — a Gothic-style castle built in 1862. The bridge isn’t anything special…aside from the fact that it’s a place where dogs inexplicably leap to their deaths.
This bizarre occurrence has been happening since the middle of the 20th century. Built in 1895, the bridge existed without any issues until that point. But since the 1950s, dogs have been hurling themselves over the side of the bridge. Creepier still? Dogs that survived and were brought back to the site tried to jump again. So what happened in the ’50s to cause all of this?
While researching cases of canine suicide, people found that they all jumped from one side of the bridge, and only on clear days. The dogs were also all breeds with long snouts, which led people to believe that something olfactory was afoot.
The main theory is that the area below the bridge is populated with minks, and the smell of mink urine whips the dogs into a frenzy. A test showed that many dogs reacted strongly to the scent. Still, would the instinct to hunt really overcome the instinct to survive?
The mink theory seems possible, but longtime resident and avid hunter John Joyce maintains that “there is no mink around here. I can tell you that with absolute certainty.”
That’s why many feel that there’s something more sinister at play. Religion and philosophy teacher Paul Owens recounts his experience: “I was standing there two years ago when I felt a firm, hard prod that felt like a finger. Something or someone was trying to push me over the bridge, just like the dogs.” Others speak of a “White Lady of Overtoun” who haunts the area.
Someone else felt the bridge’s deadly draw, too. In 1994, a man threw his infant son from the bridge, believing that the baby was the Devil. He then tried to throw himself over, but was stopped. Tragically, the baby died.
Here’s the archway under the bridge. We don’t have any information about how dogs behave when they’re down here.
(via Metro, Atlas Obscura, Wikipedia)
To this day, no one really knows what’s going on at Overton Bridge that makes dogs behave so recklessly. Whether it’s minks or supernatural forces, something is endangering dogs on this bridge. Visitors with dogs are advised to keep them on short leashes at all times, and to keep them away from the edge. If you’re visiting Scotland with your dog, consider taking it for a walk elsewhere.
