Mysterious Dog Graves in Israel

An ancient dog burial ground was discovered some 30 years ago. Today, researchers still don't know why humans have buried so many dogs in one place during a short period of time.

Archeologists discovered some 1,400 dog graves scattered around the Israeli port city of Ashkelon. The burials spanned a period of about eight decades during the fifth and fourth centuries BC when Ashkelon was part of the Persian Empire. The number of dog burials are believed to be much higher, but due to the erosion of the site by the sea the original number cannot be established. Two-thirds of the skeletal remains found were puppies.

According to archeologist Daniel Master, "The dog cemetery at Tel Ashkelon is a mystery, but despite the many artifacts discovered in the archaeological excavations, we have no clue to why people who lived in the Old City thousands of years ago decided to bury thousands of dogs in a short period of time." He believes the dogs were street dogs and not pets, and the cause of death was not sacrificial. He also says there isn't any evidence that they were diseased. "If it were a disease, we might have expected a whole bunch of dogs to die at once. It wasn’t a situation where you have a mass grave." He believes the deaths were more likely due to natural causes.

According to zoo archeologist Deirdre Fulton, "These dogs had an association, they are buried in places near occupations, near where people are living and they are burying them. I would say that the way they tucked their heads and tails shows that they do have some sort of connection to the animal. There’s something more to it."

The ancient skeletons are kept in closed containers in warehouses at the site, away from the public eye, awaiting further research so maybe one day the mystery can be solved.

Como tu: Solves Master's Murder

According to a 19th century German true crime anthology, Como tu helped solve his master's murder.

One Saturday in the 1800s, a butcher in Seville Spain named Juan went hunting with his godfather Marquez for the weekend. When Juan returned home on Monday without Marquez, Marquez's wife became concerned. Juan told her they had separated during the hunt and he should be back soon. That evening, Marquez's dog Como tu, who accompanied the men on the hunt, returned home without his master. The dog appeared agitated and grabbed the wife's dress with his teeth, trying to lead somewhere. She disregarded the dog's behavior and assumed her husband was with some of his hunting friends.

The wife and dog went to Juan's house. When they got there, Como tu, who was normally friendly with Juan, sprang for his throat. Marquez's wife pulled the dog off, and Juan told her Como tu must have rabies and should be shot. She resisted him and decided to go to the police station. The wife told the police her story and how her dog had been behaving. The police even witnessed Como tu's behavior when the quiet dog suddenly became aggressive when he heard Juan's voice at the station. The police commissioner thought Juan might have abused the dog.

Two days later, the wife takes Como tu to the area where her husband had gone hunting, hoping to find him. When she came to a cliff over a river, Como tu grabbed her dress and tried to pull her forward. She pulled back, not wanting to go down the cliff, and returned home. As the two passed Juan's butcher shop, the dog tried again to attack Juan.

Marquez's wife went to the police station and told an officer about the dog's behavior near the cliff. The next morning, the officer went to the cliff and spotted three men at the bottom trying to pull blood-smeared clothing off a body. Juan was one of the men. The other two said Juan offered them money to help him remove the body and throw it in the river. All three were arrested.

Juan admitted to killing Marquez over a fight about a partridge. Both had threatened each other. Juan said he fired at Marquez, only intending to disable him, but his anger and drunkenness drove him to finish the job by hitting him on the head with his shotgun butt.

Because there was no evidence of premeditation and some evidence to support self defense, Juan was sentenced to five years in prison. The two men were sentenced to six months.

Mysterious Dog Behavior on the Overtoun Bridge

According to local researchers, more than 300 dogs jumped off the Overtoun Bridge in Dumbarton, Scotland.

The Overtoun Bridge & Manor

The Victorian bridge was built in 1895 and has long since been a popular spot for people to walk their dogs. In the 1950s, locals started referring to the bridge as the "Dog Suicide Bridge", and according to many dog owners, their dogs became "possessed" before jumping off the bridge into the ravine 50 feet below. Even dogs on leashes would break free before taking the leap. At least 50 dogs died from the fall.

In 2016, Lottie MacKinnon could sense something change in her dog Bonnie as they approached the bridge. "At first [Bonnie] froze, but then she became possessed by a strange energy and ran and jumped right off the parapet." Fortunately, Bonnie survived.

There are two theories to why the dogs are jumping off the bridge.

According to Paul Owens, a teacher of religion and philosophy in Glasgow, "After 11 years of research, I'm convinced it's a ghost that is behind all of this." Some local residents agree with this theory - especially those who grew up hearing stories about the "White Lady of Overtoun," the grieving widow of John White, who lived in the Overtoun manor near the bridge. "The lady lived alone in grief for more than 30 years after her husband died in 1908," said a Dumbarton resident. "Her ghost has been lurking around here ever since. She’s been sighted in windows and walking around the grounds."

According to Dr. David Sands, a renowned animal behaviorist, it is most likely the strong scents of mammals, particularly minks, living in the gorge below the bridge. The dog goes after the animal, not realizing the changes of the path from the ground to the bridge, and falls. From a dog's point of view, the "tapered edges might make it look like a safe, flat plane."

"The question is, why this bridge? Why Overtoun Bridge over all the other bridges that are here in this country? It could be that this [place] has this unique recipe of wildlife, of structure, of the number of dogs that are crossing it,” Dr. Sands said in an interview.

Whatever the case, scientists don't believe the dogs are intentionally trying to kill themselves.