“If I die before him, I will ask the vet to take us together. That will make him fall asleep in my arms. I prefer to do that rather than knowing that he will let himself die on my grave with so much suffering.” Thus, in an interview with Paris Match in 2018, Alain Delon had specified his last wishes for his dog, Loubo. Today, a few days after his death, the family has decided that the animal will not be killed. The protests of animal rights activists who opposed what was established by the French actor in his will were fundamental.
The controversies
The life of the 10-year-old Belgian Malinois was supposed to end at the same time as that of his owner, in his grave in the village of Douchy, in the Loire. But animal rights activists, as reported by TutorThey immediately took steps to spare the dog such an end. They had offered to give Loubo a home. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation (founded by the actress and dedicated to protecting animals) announced earlier in the day that the dog would survive, but then immediately deleted its post. The French animal welfare organization (SPA) then chimed in with a critical tone: “The life of an animal should not depend on that of a human. SPA will be happy to take your dog and find him a family.” In France, however, there is no law preventing owners from killing their animals, but decisions are made by individual veterinarians who may or may not follow their wishes. But it was the Brigitte Bardot Foundation itself that sparked the controversy: “I just spoke on the phone with Anouchka Delon, who told me that Loubo is part of the family and that he will be kept. The dog will not be put down,” a spokeswoman for the organization said.
Delon's Chapel of 35 Dogs
Over the years, the French actor had also created a chapel to house the remains of all his four-legged friends who had accompanied him in life. It is located in the wooded park of his house, La Brûlerie, 135 kilometers southeast of Paris, which he bought in the early 1970s. The remains of at least 35 of his dogs are kept here. And to understand how close Delon was to his dog Loubo, the three children included him in the announcement of his death: “Alain-Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, as well as Loubo, are deeply saddened to announce the death of their father.” A relationship that Delon described since the interview with Paris Match, while his cohabitation with Loubo had begun just 4 years ago: “He is my dog at the end of his life … I love him like a son. 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.” And in a 1996 interview, the French actor, when asked which animal he would choose to reincarnate, answered without hesitation: “A Malinois,” the same breed as Loubo.
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