In the past six months five dogs have
fallen to their death off a bridge in Dumbarton, Scotland. This fact does not seem to be disputed. What is controversial is whether or not the dogs fell because they committed suicide. Or did they think they saw something and accidentally leapt? In the most recent case a woman claims that she was out walking her dog when it suddenly ran away from her
"vaulted over the parapet and plunged 40ft to its death."
Some animal behaviorists are dismissing the notion that suicide was the cause of the dogs' deaths, arguing that dogs never commit suicide. Personally, I'm not sure what to think. I did once hear about a dog who was so despondent after its master died that it walked out to some train tracks and lay there until a train ran it over. However, I'll concede that this story may be an urban legend because I can't remember where I heard it. And I doubt that five dogs in a row would commit suicide in the same place. However, this bridge in Dumbarton does have a spooky history. In 1994 a guy threw his two-week-old son off of it, believing that the child was the Antichrist. So believers in the supernatural are having a field day with this case.
Comments
However, if you're interested in this subject, a couple of years ago I read a book entitled "The Beast in Boudoir" (the author's name escapes me at the moment), about pets in 19th-century France, which details many legends and newspaper reports about suicidal dogs and cats, pets that willingly sacrificed themselves to save their owners (or sometimes strangers), dogs that sat by their late owners' graves mourning for decades, and so on. Pretty engrossing stuff.
Regardless, we sued the bastards that put it there.
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/permalink/prozac_water/
Instead of making the dogs mellow, it's turning a few of them suicidal. Nah... it's probably the bagpipe blues.
As far as bagpipe blues...I'll have to try and find some to go with my death polka collection. Of course who knows what side effects it will have on all the neurotic pets in my neighborhood.
Also my boyfriend's aunt had a beagle that hung itself on her back porch one Easter.
Poor doggies ...
and i do believe animals will commit suicide. remember the love bird stories? If one bird dies, the other one just wilts away ....same logic.
Humans aren't that different from animals, in fact, we ARE animals. so what's so surprising if they get depressed too?
Yeah, but the dogs leapt over the railing and off the bridge. That goes beyond just being clumsy and stupid, it takes an effort and an act of will. Lots of people are clumsy and stupid, but the great majority of them somehow manage not to deliberately jump off bridges....
BUT...
Nary a picture (except a dog with a fake knife through his head) was to be found.
Every one of the articles mentioned Overtoun House (http://www.overtounhouse.com/sitemap.html).
All but two mentioned the guy who is trying to turn this house into a religious retreat.
This started the gears grinding a little...
Now get this... Six months ago, (http://www.wdcweb.info/news/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=5343
happened.
Does it appear to anyone else that this guy might have something to do with the stories? Wouldn't it be so much easier to raise money if the christians worldwide knew of you, instead of just people in Scotland?
Not saying this is what happened, but hey, ya never know. Bagpipe music'll drive ya nuts in so many ways...
It's all the bloody tourists' fault.
Ahem.
Rod, I'm with you. He sounds fishy.
Although I wonder what suicidal dogs will do for his... religion.
Also, there was this aquarium in the 70s that had a great white shark. It went crazy trying to escape and kept bashing its head against the walls of the tank until it died.
Maybe they know something we don't... like ouch, the ground is hard and people don't stay in the same spot for long (oh yeah, we already know that). Maybe these are brave scientist dogs, testing the limits of canine knowledge, or searching for the mythical "Lost Boner of Batman". They think they see it, and, well, you know uncontrollable dogs get when excited...
"Rowf! Ratran's Roner! Rowf! Must get it!"
Sproing.
Splat.
Check it out here: http://www.totse.com/en/ego/science_fiction/clockorg.html
They lived on the 2nd or 3rd story and the dog broke through the screen. Dog saw them leaving so he jumped down after them. Needless to say the dalmation in question did not have supernatural powers and proceeded to fall and break all four of its legs. It did survive.
Though following the owners is probably a good theory, I'm sure that bagpipes were undoubtebly playing in the background.
I still think that since there is only 1 witnessed case that it could have been a complete accident. This is what leash laws are for.
Now that I got that comment out of the way....
My mother-in-law had a greyhound that committed something close to suicide. It got running up to full speed (which is FAST for a greyhound) and ran head first into a closed garage door. Needless to say the door won.