If a dog is man’s best friend, it might not seem to be unreasonable for a man to hope to be buried with his dog when his time comes, right?
French actor Alain Delon really loved his dogs. But he had a very special place in his heart for his last one, a Belgian Malinois. He loved the dog so much, in fact, that he made an unusual final request: When he died, he wanted the dog euthanized. That way, he could be buried with his dog and spend all eternity side by side with his faithful companion.
“I would rather that than knowing that he would let himself die on my grave with so much suffering,” he said, according to the BBC.
I know there are animal lovers out there who might think there’s something sweetly sentimental about such a thought.
I’m not that kind of animal lover
There have only been a handful of years during my entire lifetime that I haven’t had at least one dog around me. My current boy is a Rough Collie who’s about to turn 11 years old. The average Rough Collie is 14 to 16 years.
I hope I have at least six more years with my boy. Years ago, a man who lived in an apartment building across from mine had a collie that died at age 16. The poor guy was frail and his backend was unsteady, but he was still friendly and strong-willed.
As long as mine is healthy and happy, I want him to live as long as he can. I certainly plan to be around six years from now. But I’m not, I wouldn’t want my dog euthanized. I wouldn’t want us to be buried together that bad.
I’m super-protective of every dog I’ve ever owned. I don’t trust doggy daycares and I’ve never been comfortable with the thought of a pet sitter, either. I only trust Mom to take care of him when I have to go out of town. So I might be able to imagine worrying about who’d take care of my dog as well as I did when I go. I get that much.
On the other hand, when my boy dies, I’ll have his ashes placed in an urn. I will request that he be buried with me if I outlive him.
The average lifespan of a Belgian Malinois is 10 to 14 years. Delon’s dog, Loubo, is 10 years old. So he’s within that window of “end of life.”
Loubo’s former master, who died on Aug. 18 was 88 years old. The average lifespan of a human male in France is just under 83 years old. Delon beat the odds to live longer than the average Frenchman. Good for him.
But had Delon had his way, Loubo wouldn’t have had a chance of beating those odds.
Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed
Fortunately, after animal rights groups launched a protest, Delon’s family stepped in and put a stop to the plan. Delon’s daughter confirmed the dog would not be killed and would stay within the family.
I would hope every pet owner would learn something from this. While it may seem like a noble or loving idea, it’s actually the opposite. It’s about as selfish a thing as a dog owner might come up with.
Granted, when a man is nearing the end of his own life, it may be hard to think clearly on such matters. Maybe his being buried with his dog seemed perfectly logical.
I’m just glad for Loubo’s sake that others thought more clearly of the idea!
