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The family of Alain Delon have overruled the late French actor's request for his pet dog to be put down and buried with him.

The 88-year-old, who died on Sunday, had asked for his pet dog Loubo, a 10-year-old Belgian malinois, to be humanely killed and laid in his grave.

However, following protests from animal rights activists, Delon’s daughter Anouchka confirmed the dog would not be killed and would stay within the family.

The French animal charity that "Loubo will of course not be euthanised" and that he "has a home and a family".

The equivalent of the RSPCA in France condemned Delon's decision and earlier this week said "the life of an animal should not depend on that of a human".

The SPA added that it was "happy to take his dog and find it a family".

There is no law in France that prohibits owners from putting down their pets.

In 2018, the French film legend told Paris Match magazine that he wanted to be buried with his "end of life dog" that he loved "like a child".

"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.

"If I die before him I will ask the vet to let us go together. He will inject him so that he dies in my arms.

"I would rather that than knowing that he would let himself die on my grave with so much suffering," he said.

At least 35 of Delon's dogs have been buried in a chapel in a cemetery that the actor created in the grounds of his home, La Brûlerie.

The french film legend was a star of the golden era of French cinema, known for his tough-guy persona on screen in hits including The Samurai and Borsalino.

Delon had been in poor health in recent years and had become a virtual recluse with his last public appearance at Cannes Film Festival in May 2019 where he received an honorary Palme d'Or.