Investigating a high-profile murder case. Butting heads with
his own daughters. Making the jump from the small screen to your video game console.
This is what Dog The Bounty Hunter's life is like today!
Life got off on the wrong foot for Dog, whose real name is Duane Chapman.
He was born to a middle-class family in Denver, Colorado, but his upbringing was far from perfect.
Dog has described his childhood as abusive, and the instability during his formative
years might have led to rocky decades of self-destruction and ill-fated personal choices.
At age 13, Dog dropped out of school and joined a biker gang, often getting involved
in unsavory activities. In his early 20s, he found himself in serious trouble when he was
present at a fatal shooting — a drug deal turned sour — and the incident put him behind bars.
He was sentenced to five years in prison and served 18 months of the sentence.
Dog's wife and mother to two of his children divorced him during his prison stint.
While Dog could have leaned into his pain and bad luck, he chose to leave his dark past behind
him and step into a brighter, smarter, and more lucrative future. The man who once only
found himself on the wrong side of the law would now commit his days to doing the right thing.
Over the years, Dog has known much love and loss. Among his many accomplishments,
fathering 12 children from four different wives likely sits at the top of that list.
Following the tragic loss of his fourth wife,
Dog was forced to face the long-term effects of living life hard. Three months after she died,
Dog was hospitalized with chest pains and diagnosed with a dangerous pulmonary
embolism. After smoking up to four packs of cigarettes a day since the age of 12, the
reality star had to take a long, hard look at his lifestyle and make some changes for the better.
The scary situation was the focus of Dog's appearance on the "Dr. Oz
show." The famous doc didn't mince his words when he made
a house call to Denver to tell Dog that he was "a ticking time bomb."
"You aren't gonna be here with the heart the way it is right now."
Aside from his pulmonary embolism, Dog also suffered from high cholesterol,
low blood oxygen levels, and high blood pressure. Thanks to medical intervention,
treatment, and family intervention and assistance,
the Dog's ticker is still pumping away, and he has received yet another lease on life.
Dog seems to have a new outlook on health and life, telling People magazine:
"Once this goes away, I am 100 percent. I've had fears. The blood clot is not a normal
thing but it happens a lot, but I'm going to be 100 percent. I'm encouraged by it."
Dog had been relatively unlucky in love until he found his late wife, Beth Chapman.
Her death was brutal for the reality star, who, after losing the love of his life,
professed he would never marry again. He claimed:
"There will never be another Mrs. Dog."
"I cannot believe that she's gone, this is not possible. I wanna wake up from a dream."
Time has a way of healing wounds, however, and it wasn't long before the bounty hunter's life
took yet another sharp turn as he landed in the arms of a former acquaintance, Francie Frane. Dog
and Francie were wed on September 2nd, 2021, 10 months after Beth died from throat cancer.
The happy pair threw a lavish Colorado celebration that focused on the new
couple and the groom and the bride's deceased spouses. Dog joked:
"This is going to be the celebrity wedding of 2021, scoot over Blake Shelton."
When it came to paying tribute to their late spouses,
aspects of the vows reflected the respectful nature and deep, eternal love both would forever
feel for their former loves throughout their lives. Francie told Entertainment Tonight:
"We honor them all of the time. And so we will continue to do that throughout their lives."
"I know I say all the time, Beth,
I'm glad you provided me with Francie because that wasn't on my list."
We all know Dog is a pro when it comes to hunting down lawbreakers.
In the fall of 2021, 21-year-old Brian Laundrie was wanted for questioning
in connection with the death of his fiancée, Gabby Petito.
When it seemed like Laundrie had just up and disappeared off the face of the earth, Dog
decided that if anyone were going to bring this guy in, it would be him. Dog joined the massive
search for Laundrie, temporarily relocating to Florida to help look for clues in the case.
Dog had personal reasons for involving himself in this particular case. Like the Petitos,
he had lost a daughter at the same age. Of the situation, Dog said:
"The reason I went to Mr. [Christopher] Laundrie is I carry a reputation with me. The reputation
is, 'He gives you a second chance. He's gonna get you, but he gives you a second chance."
"Because I lost a daughter at about the same age, I know what the parents feel like, ok?"
Amid the search, Dog suffered an ankle injury that resulted in him returning to
his home state of Colorado for medical care. It wasn't long after the injury
that the remains of Brian Laundrie were found in a Florida preserve.
Dog might not have tracked Laundrie down personally, but he gave it a shot, and most
importantly, the location of the remains afforded some level of closure to the families in mourning.
Dog fans had been looking forward to their favorite bounty hunter's return to reality
television, as there were rumors of a new show starring Dog in the works. The show,
"Dog Unleashed," was slated to take on a different angle
than other reality series that had run in the past.
This one would have the no-nonsense Dog facing off with some of the country's most
dangerous criminals, not the typical bail-rebuking runners. Unfortunately,
the series never got off the ground and was canceled in 2021 before it ever hit the airwaves.
Unleashed Entertainment President and CEO Mike Donovan revealed in
a statement the reason behind the abrupt cancellation, saying,
"We greatly respect the incredible work of Duane Chapman tracking down and bringing
fugitives to justice. Unfortunately, Unleashed Entertainment received reports of actions taken
by Mr. Chapman during the show's production that breach our contractual agreements."
After an investigation, the media company decided on a permanent
shut-down of the show. "Dog Unleashed" quickly became, well, "Dog Unreleased."
There's very little Dog hasn't done in the entertainment world. He even took a shot at
a role on the big screen, appearing in the feature film "Hunter's Creed." The film,
released in 2020, follows a faith-based man's hunting excursions into the woods.
The expedition turns dark and sinister when the gang is forced to face off with
supernatural forces. The characters must rely on unwavering faith to see
them through the evil that lurks within the deep, dark forest.
Cinedigm, the company which had rights to the movie, said,
"Casting Duane 'Dog' Chapman was the perfect addition to the project
as he channels his own life experiences to the big screen."
After years of tracking down bail-jumpers, facing countless setbacks in life, and starring
in film and reality television, now he can add singing to his ever-growing resume of talents.
While fans have grown accustomed to watching Dog hunt hardened criminals,
they were likely surprised to see the gritty,
rough-around-the-edges guy put down the handcuffs and pick up a microphone.
In 2022, Dog performed on the Fox series "The Masked Singer." Dressed
as a crooning armadillo for his Season 7 stint, he belted out the lyrics to
"Amazing Grace," one of his mother's favorite songs.
Dog ended up being eliminated from advancing in the series, as both Jenny McCarthy and
Nicole Scherzinger were able to guess who the person behind the armadillo get-up was.
Of the experience, the Dog had nothing but nice things to say. He told Fox,
"For a living I chase clues. That's how I make a living, right? So to be the clue leaver,
I loved it. So every sentence, everything we said was strategic."
"When I got here, they said you gotta sing, I'm like what?"
The Dog loves his pack, but with 12 kids, there's bound to be conflict from time to time. In 2021,
Dog found himself embroiled in a back-and-forth battle with two of his grown daughters.
Bonnie and Cecily Chapman claim ties with their famous father were severed
after their mother Beth died from throat cancer. The two grown children remain firm
on their stance that following their mother's death, their father essentially ditched them.
"When my mom passed away, my dad pretty much neglected us."
The sisters have also accused their father of cheating on
their late mother during their marriage.
"How do you know he cheated? … My mom confided in me, my mom confided in us."
Bonnie took to social media, saying,
"He would cheat on my mom all the time, and I hated him every time he did it,
but I forgave him for that because I wanted a relationship with my dad."
"I'm a good man, I would've never done that."
The family drama seemed so tumultuous that it resulted in Dog's daughters
not receiving an invitation to their father's wedding to his sixth wife,
Francie. However, Duane and Francie hit back, releasing a statement that read, in part,
"Bonnie's allegations are false and a misguided attempt to derail our wedding."
"I'm not gonna allow our day to be ruined by this nonsense."
They further alleged that, quote,
"disgruntled former associates" were to blame for the daughters' actions.
Dog might be taking his talents to a different small screen — starring as himself in video
games. In 2022, Newsweek reported that the famous bounty hunter is set to team
up with Virtual Interactive Technologies to create multiple games reflecting Dog's
illustrious career tracking down those running from the law.
Fans are surely eager to take what they've learned from watching Dog
track down lawbreakers and put the tactics into practice — via video game, of course
Fans aren't the only ones excited to see this new venture through. The CEO of Virtual Interactive
Technologies expressed his excitement over the venture, saying in a press release,
"Dog's successful career in reality TV and his widely recognized persona will provide
us with exceptional content to build a number of exciting and engaging games."
Dog also released a statement following the announcement of the new venture, saying,
"After years of sharing my life on television,
I'm thrilled to bring my many stories and experiences to the video gaming environment."
It certainly is quite the accomplishment to have your life's work immortalized in a series of
video games — and it sounds like Dog couldn't be more pumped about this unique opportunity.
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