On the Internet, you can often find information about the British bridge Overton, from which for decades, local dogs make suicide. We checked whether this is really so.

The bridge in question is located in a picturesque area near the town of Dambarton in the central part of Scotland. The Gothic structure, the central arch of which rises above the 15-meter ravine, appeared here in 1895, for a long time was considered simply a beautiful attraction, but in the 50s of the last century it gained completely different glory. The media leaked information that dozens (by Some sources - hundreds) Dogs are jumped through a stone fence of the bridge with one jump and very often break to death, in other cases - cripple themselves. There are cases when the dogs, surviving, made a jump again. Often this happens right in front of the owners.

Some experts bind the suicidal behavior of dogs (known as the “jump of the rovers” - in honor of the popular nickname of pets) with the mental state of their owners. In particular, the popular British parapsychologist Rupert Sheldrack He thinksthat animals have psychic abilities and capture certain signals from people, reinforcing their theory with the fact that an economically retarded dam regularly falls into the top of the most depressed places in the UK.

There is and Another paranormal theory, more beautiful. The Overton bridge was built by John White, the owner of the neighboring estate of the same name. In 1908, John died, and his inconsolable widow lived here for 30 years (in fact, 23) in an inconsolable mountain, leaving behind a ghost. Local residents still see a woman’s figure in the windows of the mansion and on local paths. According to them, it is on the bridge that “White Lady Overton” spends the most time, bringing dogs to frenzy. In proof, real cases are also going on. It is known for certain that in 1994 a 32-year-old man threw his child from the bridge, believing that he was Antichrist. The next day, the child died, and his father was declared insane and placed in the hospital.

Finally, representatives of academic science took up the legend. In 2010, behaviorist David Sands conducted a series of experiments and came to the conclusion that dogs definitely did not kill themselves consciously. In his study, he found out that most jumping dogs had a long nose and, accordingly, especially a sharp instinct, and therefore the smell of wild animals could become a trigger for them. Sands noted that the design of the bridge with continuous, impenetrable, ivy barriers of about 1 m high could confuse dogs and make them think that the side was the same earth. Pets simply do not know that they are on the bridge. According to the scientist, dogs, cats and other animals, when they are on the verge of death, they usually look for a quiet hole or a loss of corner, but this is due to the deterioration of their physical condition. He believes that the dogs are not able to plan their own death and therefore it is impossible for them to commit what we people would call suicide.

Sands theory helped to confirm David Sexton from the Royal Society of Bird Protection, who discovered the habitat of mice, protein and minks under the bridge. After that, the sands I arranged an experiment With the corresponding smells, he found that eight out of ten experimental dogs are rushing in their direction, and many in a rather aggressive manner. Therefore, the final verdict of Sands for all these incidents is an “accident”.

Despite the gloomy reputation, the Overton bridge continues to be a popular place for walking dogs, and many of them do not wear a leash. However, in all likelihood, the desperate jumping of dogs in the ravine has a rational nature and suicide as such are not.