Alain Delon's family refuses his request to put down and bury his dog with him after his death

The family of late actor Alain Delon rejected his final request to put down his beloved pet dog and bury it with him after receiving flak from animal defenders. 

Delon, who died on Sunday, Aug. 18, had asked in 2018 for his pet dog Loubo, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, to be euthanized and be buried with him if ever he dies before him.  

The statement, however, received protests from animal rights activists, with the SPA, an animal charity, saying, "The life of an animal should not depend on that of a human,” according to a BBC report. They also offered to take Loubo and find him a new family. 

Delon’s daughter Anouchka confirmed that the pet dog would not follow the French actor’s wish and would stay with them instead.

The French animal charity Fondation Brigitte Bardot said on X that "Loubo will of course not be euthanized" and that he "has a home and a family."

In 2018, the 1975 Zorro star shared his wish during his interview with Paris Match, saying that he wanted to be laid to rest with his "end of life dog" that he loved "like a child."

"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. If I die before him, I will ask the vet to let us go together. He will inject him so that he dies in my arms,” Delon previously said. "I would rather that than knowing that he would let himself die on my grave with so much suffering."

The report noted that there is no law in France preventing owners from putting down their pets.

Delon created a cemetery in his home, which has at least 35 of his dogs buried in the chapel.  

Delon passed away at 88 years old. The cause of his death was not revealed, but it can be noted that one of his sons, Anthony, previously revealed to The Washington Post and The New York Times that the actor’s health had been declining since he suffered a stroke in 2019. He was also diagnosed with a form of lymphoma.

Delon was known for his action/crime films Zorro (1975), Le Samouraï (1967), The Swimming Pool (1969), and Rocco and His Brothers (1960), among others.