Late French actor Alain Delon's family rejected his final wish to have his beloved dog euthanized and buried with him amid outcry from dismayed animal-rights activists.
The actor, who died Sunday at age 88, had previously expressed his desire to have his 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, Loubo, "put to sleep" and buried alongside him in the cemetery at his home in the village of Douchy in Loiret, The Guardian reported.
But backlash soon ensued, with activists appalled by the idea of putting a healthy dog to sleep. Offers also came to rehome Loubo. On Tuesday it was decided that the dog would be allowed to live.
The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announced the news, noting that Delon's daughter Anouchka Delon had assured concerned public members that the family would keep the dog, who was adopted from a refuge by Delon in 2014.
"I've just had Anouchka Delon on the phone and she has told me that Loubo is part of the family and will be kept. The dog will not be put down," a foundation spokesperson said.
Several organizations took a stand against Delon's final wish for his dog, including the SPA, France's equivalent of the RSPCA.
"The life of an animal should not depend on that of a human. The SPA is happy to take his dog and find it a family," the organization wrote, according to The Guardian.
Delon built a chapel on his estate, La Brûlerie, located about 85 miles southeast of Paris, where the remains of over 35 of his dogs are buried. He purchased the property in the early 1970s and dedicated a section of its wooded grounds to honoring his beloved pets.
In 2018, Delon spoke about his love for Loubo.
"He's my end-of-life dog … I love him like a child," he told Paris Match at the time. "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."
He added: "If I die before him, I'll ask the vet to take us away together. He'll put him to sleep in my arms. I'd rather do that than know that he'll let himself die on my grave with so much suffering."