This bridge in Scotland has a dark secret - Overtoun Bridge in Dumbarton has a dark and terrifying history.

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Dumbarton - Dumbarton, in West Dunbartonshire, is home to a strange and unique attraction.

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Dumbarton - The town sits on the north bank of the River Clyde, where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. 

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Dumbarton - In 1895, the Overtoun Bridge was completed to a design by the landscape architect H. E. Milner.

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Overtoun Bridge - The bridge is over the Overtoun Burn on the approach road to Overtoun House, a 19th century country house and estate overlooking the River Clyde.

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Tragic attraction - Since the 1950s, an estimated 100 to 600 dogs have leapt from the bridge to the waterfalls below.

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Suicidal? - Are the dogs sad and suicidal?

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Investigation - Atlas Obscura reports that the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has sent representatives to investigate, but they too were stumped by the cause of the strange behaviour.

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Determined - Some dogs have reportedly survived their jump from the bridge, only to return and jump again.

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Why? -

No-one is sure why this mysterious occurrence happens. The only common factors are that dogs mostly jump from the same side of the bridge in clear weather, and they tend to be breeds with long snouts

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Unremarkable - The bridge itself is fairly unremarkable. It was constructed using rough-faced ashlar and comprises three arches.

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Deep drop - The large central arch spans a deep valley at the bottom of which flows the Overtoun Burn. The drop is around 50 ft.

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Multiple deaths - It has been reported that during one six-month period in 2005, five dogs jumped to their deaths.

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Same spot - All of the deaths have occurred at between the final two parapets on the right side of the bridge.

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Depressed? - Dumbarton has reportedly been voted one of the most depressing places in Britain to live.

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Sensitive - The Daily Mail has considered that the dogs may have a psychic connection to this depression and referenced the famous experiments of Dr. Richard Sheldrake.

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Nuclear cause? - There is also a nearby nuclear base at Faslane. Could it be responsibile? 

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Tragedy - In October 1994, a man threw his two-week-old son to his death from the bridge, reportedly because he believed that his son was an incarnation of the Devil.

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Tragedy - He then attempted to commit suicide by attempting to jump off the bridge, and a second time by slashing his wrists.

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Cursed? - Could the bridge simply be cursed?

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Paranormal - Local legend has it that ghosts that are said to reside at Overtoun House, and that perhaps they spook the dogs into wanting to jump.

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Urban legend? - But perhaps the sinister past of the bridge is overblown. Skeptoid investigated and found only six confirmed cases of dogs jumping to their death.

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The mink theory - The Daily Mail reports that canine psychologist Dr. David Sands posited that the odour of male mink urine was possibly luring dogs to their deaths.

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Debunked? - Skeptoid also looked into the work of Dr. David Sands, an animal behavioral specialist from Lancashire.

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Experiment - Dr. Sands set up an informal demonstration with ten dogs to see how they were affected by scents.

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Evidence - Skeptoid summarises that when exposed to canisters containing mouse, squirrel, and mink scent, one of the dogs went to the squirrel scent, two preferred to play with their masters, and the remaining seven all went straight for the mink scent.

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Weather - This theory would explain why the deaths have all occurred on sunny, dry days. In these conditions, any mink smell would not be diluted by damp weather.

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Support - This would also explain why dogs with long snouts are reported to have jumped. Dogs with longer snouts can smell better simply because their noses have more olfactory glands.

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Disagreement - But others have argued that this cannot be the cause, with locals insisting that there are no minks in the burn.

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Risky -

There is no clear answer, but perhaps it is best to keep your dog on a leash when walking in Dumbarton.

Check out some other spooky bridges here.

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