Canine 'Suicides' From Bridge Baffle
Animal Experts
By Paul Kelbie - Scotland Correspondent - The Independent -
UK - 5 March 2005
On a wet and windy winter's day on the west coast of Scotland, the
ancient borough of Dumbarton can appear bleak and depressing. The
once fashionable and prosperous ship-building centre is now little
more than a suburb of Glasgow and, it appears, even some of the
dogs have lost the will to live.
Animal behaviourists are concerned at an apparent spate of canine
"suicides" in the town after at least five dogs are said
to have thrown themselves from an historic bridge in the past six
months.
In the once landscaped grounds of Overtoun House - a country mansion
built in 1863 with ornate religious symbolism and the words "Fear
God and keep His commandments" carved into its walls - the
bridge is fast becoming known as "rover's leap".
Following a rash of unexplained incidents in which family pets have
leapt to their deaths from the parapet of the bridge, animal welfare
experts are warning owners to keep their dogs on a tight leash.
"Dogs do not commit suicide. They have a strong fight or flight
response," said Doreen Graham of the Scottish Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "The incidents at the bridge
are of very great concern to us because we would like to understand
why they are happening."
In the latest incident, a woman was shocked to see her dog suddenly
vault over the parapet and plunge 40ft to its death for no apparent
reason.
"It is very weird for five dogs to have done the same thing
at the same spot. There needs to be an urgent investigation of the
bridge and what has happened. There must be a rational explanation,"
said Joyce Stewart, an animal behaviourist, who has never heard
of a canine suicide but admitted the pattern of deaths was "abnormal".
Ms Graham added: "Dogs naturally have a very good ability to
judge distances ... so it is possible there is something which is
causing an optical illusion or enticing the dogs to jump. From photographs
of the bridge it would appear that the tree canopy rises above the
bridge and it may cause some sort of confusion to the animal, which
thinks it is jumping to something solid."
Folklore claims that Overtoun House is a place where angels and
gargoyles keep company. The former home of Lord Overtoun, the owner
of a huge chemical works, it is now being renovated as a Christian
"centre for hope and healing".
©2005 Independent News & Media (UK) Ltd.
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