Alain Delon, an iconic French actor, passed away last week at the age of 88. Apart from his contribution to cinema since the 1960s, another topic about him has made headlines since his death: His wish to be buried with his beloved rescue dog, Loubo.
Loubo currently is a healthy, 10-year-old Belgian Malinois. In a resurfaced 2018 French interview, Delon expressed his wish to be buried with Loubo, saying, “He is my end-of-life dog. A Belgian shepherd that I love like a child. If I die before him, I will ask the vet to leave together. He will put him down so that he dies in my arms. I prefer that rather than knowing that he will let himself die on my grave with so much suffering.” He also cited the dog, who he adopted from a shelter in 2014, has separation anxiety.
This got the attention of the public and animal advocacy organizations, including the SPA (France’s version of the SPCA) and the Bridget Bardot Foundation (founded by Bridget Bardot, another iconic French actor and friend of Delon’s). They spoke out saying it was wrong to euthanize a healthy dog and that the three adult children of Delon have confirmed the dog will live with them.
Despite this eccentric and cruel last wish, Alain Delon was always known for his love of dogs and support of animals. He had admitted to having over 50 dogs over his lifetime, with at least 35 of them buried in his personal cemetery and chapel, located on his estate outside of Paris. (Who we can assume were all deceased due to natural causes prior to being buried)
His three adult children, Anouchka, Anthony, and Alain-Fabien, are also all dog lovers – So Loubo is in good hands.
From his Instagram, Anthony Delon also has a love for Belgian Malinois. And Anouchka has a fluffy Corgi that’s a regular on her Instagram.
Related post: The history of the oldest pet cemetery, built over 100 years ago in Paris.
