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

The late French actor Alain Delon wanted his dog to be euthanized and buried with him, but his children refused, following protests from animal rights activists.

The actor, who died on Sunday aged 88, had said he wanted his 10-year-old Belgian Malinois dog, named Lubo, to be “laid in peace” and buried in the cemetery at his home in the village of Douchy in the Loiret department.

On Tuesday it was announced that Lubo would survive after activists expressed dismay at the possibility of a healthy animal being put down and offered to find the dog a new home.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation said Delon’s daughter Anoushka had given her permission to keep a dog in her family.

“We just spoke to Anoushka DeLong on the phone and she said she plans to keep Lubo because he is a member of the family. They have no plans to euthanize the dog,” a foundation spokesperson said.

Earlier that day, the foundation had announced it was rescuing the dog on social media, before deleting the post, causing confusion.

The SPA, France’s equivalent of the RSPCA, was one of many animal protection groups to express concern over Delon’s decision to keep his dog, writing: “An animal’s life should not depend on a human’s. The SPA is happy to take his dog and help him find a new family.”

There is no law in France that prohibits owners from euthanizing their animals, but it is up to individual veterinarians to decide whether to comply with an owner’s wishes.

Delon built a chapel on the grounds of his La Brulérie forest home, 85 miles southeast of Paris, which he bought in the early 1970s, over a cemetery containing the remains of at least 35 of his dogs.

In a rare show of solidarity here on Sunday, Delon’s three children, Anthony, 59, Anoushka, 33, and Alain Fabian, 30, announced that their father had died peacefully in their presence. Lubo, whom Delon adopted from a shelter in 2014, was also included in the children’s announcement of the actor’s death.

“It is with deep sadness that Alain-Fabien, Anoushka, Anthony and Lubo announce the passing of their father,” the joint statement said.

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

He added: “If I die before him I will ask the vet to take him with me so he can sleep in my arms. I would rather that than watch him die in agony on my grave.”

Following the interview, animal rights group 30 Million Friends condemned the “convenient” euthanasia of a perfectly healthy dog ​​and said they hoped Lubo would be available for adoption.

“If he dies in front of Lubo and his faithful Malinois dogs and no one is in a position to care for him, which is unlikely, the 30 Million Friends Foundation will naturally take on the task of finding a trustworthy person who can ensure his well-being,” Reha Hutin, the foundation’s president, said at the time.

Delon’s daughter Anoushka posted a photo of Lubo on Instagram in July last year, along with the message, “Where there are unfortunate people, God sends a dog. Thank you, Lubo, for being there for your owner.”

In March this year, she posted another photo of Lubo standing guard outside Delon’s house, with the caption, “Guardian of the temple… he has no betrayal or calculation, only love.”

When asked in a 1996 television interview what animal he would like to be if he were reborn, Delon answered without hesitation, “A Malinois.”

Delon will reportedly be buried this week in “the strictest privacy” at his home in Douchy, but his family has not released any further details. Delon had previously said he did not want a state ceremony like those held after the deaths of Johnny Hallyday and Charles Aznavour, and wanted to be buried “like any other person.”