- France -
How many of you have watched his movies and how many ladies among you found him handsome?
88-year-old French actor Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon, simply known by his stage name Alain Delon, passed away on August 18, 2024.
A request expressed by Mr. Delon regarding his dog, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois named Loubo whom he adopted in 2014 from a shelter, sparked an outcry from animal rights activists.
In a 2018 interview with Paris Match, Mr. Delon said he wanted Loubo euthanized and buried with him in the cemetery of his home in the village of Douchy in the Loiret. He said: “He’s my end of life dog … I love him like a child. He misses me when I’m not there.” He then explained: “I’ve had 50 dogs in my life, but I have a particular relationship with this one. If I die before him, I’ll ask the veterinarian for us to leave together. ... I’d prefer that to knowing that he would let himself die on my tomb amid so much suffering.”
Mr. Delon created a chapel in the cemetery of his home containing the remains of at least thirty-five (35) of his dogs.
After Mr. Delon’s death, animal rights activists and concerned citizens raised the alarm about Loubo’s fate.
Following criticism from animal welfare groups, Mr. Delon’s family confirmed on August 20, 2024, that they would not be granting Mr. Delon’s controversial dying wish.
On the same day, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, a prominent French animal rights group founded by the famed French film star, who was close with Mr. Delon, said in a post on X that Mr. Delon’s relatives had confirmed that Loubo “has his home and his family” and will not be euthanized.
France’s Society for the Protection of Animals welcomed the family’s decision.
According to The Associated Press, SPA President Guillaume Sanchez told the news agency: “ ‘Our phone lines were saturated’ with calls by people worried about the dog.”
He also said that while Loubo “will probably be very sad to have lost the affection of Mr. Delon,” “…we are totally against the idea that anyone euthanizes an animal for this reason, Delon or no Delon. ... Organizations that work to protect animals want society to develop awareness that an animal is an individual, separate being.”
Mr. Delon was a longtime friend of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and helped raise money for its causes.
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