Alain Delon’s family refuses to euthanize the dog the actor wanted to be buried with | Alain Delon

The late French actor Alain Delon’s wish to have his dog euthanized and buried with him was rejected by his children following an outcry from animal rights activists.

The actor, who died on Sunday at the age of 88, had said it was his wish that the animal, a 10-year-old Belgian shepherd named Loubo, be humanely killed in his arms and buried in the cemetery of his home in the village of Douchy in the Loiret.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Loubo would survive after activists expressed their dismay that a healthy animal could be euthanized and offered to find a new home for the dog.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation said Delon’s daughter Anouchka confirmed that the family would keep the dog.

“I just spoke to Anouchka Delon on the phone and she told me that Loubo is part of the family and will be kept. The dog will not be put down,” said a spokesperson for the foundation.

The foundation had previously announced on social media that it would spare the dog before deleting the posts, which had caused some confusion.

The SPA, the French equivalent of the RSPCA, was one of several animal charities to express concern about Delon’s wish for his companion, writing: “An animal’s life should not depend on that of a human. The SPA is happy to take in his dog and is looking for a family for him.”

In France, there is no law that prohibits owners from euthanizing their animals. However, it is up to the veterinarian to decide whether to comply with the owner’s wishes.

Delon had a chapel built on the wooded grounds of his house, La Brûlerie, 137 kilometres southeast of Paris, which he bought in the early 1970s, in a cemetery that contains the remains of at least 35 of his dogs.

Here, on Sunday, his three children Anthony (59), Anouchka (33) and Alain-Fabien (30) announced in a rare act of unity that their father had died peacefully surrounded by their family. Loubo, whom Delon adopted from an animal shelter in 2014, was also included in the children’s statement on the actor’s death.

“Alain-Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony and Loubo are deeply saddened to announce the death of their father,” their joint statement said.

“He is my dog ​​for the rest of my life… I love him like a child,” Delon told Paris Match in 2018. “I’ve had 50 dogs in my life, but I have a special relationship with this one. He misses me when I’m not there.”

He added: “If I die before him, I will ask the vet to take us away together. He will put him to sleep in my arms. I prefer that to knowing that he will die in so much suffering on my grave.”

Following this interview, the animal welfare organization 30 Million Friends condemned the euthanasia of a perfectly healthy dog, which it considered to be “convenient,” and expressed the hope that Loubo would be adopted.

“If he had to leave Loubo, his faithful Malinois, and no one – which I doubt – was able to take care of him, the 30 Million Friends Foundation would of course take on the task of finding someone trustworthy to ensure his well-being,” said Reha Hutin, the foundation’s president at the time.

Delon’s daughter Anouchka posted a photo of Loubo on Instagram in July last year with the message: “Wherever there is an unfortunate person, God sends a dog. Thank you Loubo for being there for your master.”

In March of this year, she posted another photo of Loubo standing guard outside Delon’s house, with the caption: “Guardian of the temple… With him there is no betrayal, no calculation, only love.”

When Delon was asked in a television interview in 1996 which animal he would like to be reborn as, he answered without hesitation: “A Malinois.”

Delon is reportedly to be buried this week at his home in Douchy “in the strictest privacy,” but the family has not released any further details. Before his death, the actor said he did not want a national ceremony like the deaths of Johnny Hallyday and Charles Aznavour, but wanted to be buried “like anyone else.”