In Scotland, many dog owners are wondering what is prompting their pets to jump off a reportedly haunted bridge.
Mirror UK reported that about 600 dogs were said to have leaped over the same parapet side of a century-old bridge located near the Gothic Overtoun House castle. About 50 of these canines have jumped to their deaths.
While animal psychologists are trying to solve this mystery, residents from West Dunbartonshire claim that the "White Lady of Overtoun" had pushed these dogs off the granite bridge.
The eerie atmosphere might have proven that a ghost must have haunted the dogs and even the people who drop by to see what's below the 50 feet-high "suicide bridge."
"I was standing there two years ago when I felt a firm, hard prod that felt like a finger," accordngi Religious Studies and Philosophy teacher, Paul Owens told the Sun. "Something or someone was trying to push me over the bridge too, just like the dogs."
The Dog Suicide Bridge in Scotland. pic.twitter.com/e5BTh37M2M
— Unexplained Pictures (@NotExplained) February 6, 2015
"We had just got out the car and Cassie immediately made her way to the bridge... she turned her head, looked up and did this massive leap," pet-owner Alice Trevorrow told the Daily Record. "I will never forget the awful whine she made as she leaped."
Thankfully, Cassie, the three-year-old springer spaniel has survived the fall.
However, Donna Cooper's pet, Ben, was not able to stay alive after taking the leap off the bridge without any warning. The pet owner told Mail Online that Ben's paws and jaw were broken. The vets have tried to revive the collie dog, but his back was "badly twisted" to save his life.
"I think it's highly likely at all of the cases that it was curiosity that killed the dog," Dr. David Sands, an animal behaviorist and investigator for Animal Planet told Mirror UK.
A scientific explanation on the dog's attraction to the scent of whatever's under the bridge has prompted them to jump and see.
"It's perfectly natural for people to want to look down and I'm wondering if it's the same for dogs," Sands added.
Presently, local officials have placed a sign that reads "Please keep your dogs on the lead" at the said "dangerous bridge."
