"If Beth was here, and saw Francie and saw how she was raised, her morality and this and that, Beth would say, 'Big daddy, don't lose her,'" said Dog, back when he'd announced his engagement.
Duane "Dog" Chapman is getting ready to say "I Do" in September to his fiancée Francie Frane. The news of the wedding was revealed by Dog the Bounty Hunter during an episode of the Two Guys From Hollywood podcast, according to PEOPLE.
"I'm getting married," he said. "We went to the venue, picked it out yesterday, looked at it. Man, it costs a lot to get married." His official announcement comes after hinting about it via social media platform Instagram last week when he shared a picture of him with Frane. "My Francie Francie I Love You !!!!" he wrote. "And soon be proving that beyond a Shadow of a doubt!!!"
The 68-year-old bounty hunter first revealed his relationship with Frane, a 52-year-old rancher from Colorado, in March 2020, almost 10 months after his wife died due to cancer. Two months after that, it was revealed they were engaged and were waiting to hold a big fat wedding once the COVID restrictions had been lifted.
Frane, who had also lost her husband to cancer a while before Beth Chapman's death, knew what Dog Chapman was going through.
"Francie's husband passed away over three years ago, Beth passed away over two years ago, and I felt very bad about even wanting to have someone else after Beth," Dog said on Two Guys From Hollywood. "And then when I went to the Bible, the Genesis, and found out how Adam got Eve, as I was going to find the exact story, I saw the scripture that says, 'God does not want a man to be alone.'"
He continued, "He knows we need a companion, whether we're a man or a woman. So anyway, yes, September 2 [is the date of the wedding]."
When their engagement was announced, Dog revealed that Beth would be happy for him. "I need a partner," he told PEOPLE. "I've said it before. There will never be another Mrs. Dog. There is not. Francie couldn't do that. There will be a last Mrs. Chapman. If Beth was here, and saw Francie and saw how she was raised, her morality and this and that, Beth would say, 'Big daddy, don't lose her.'"
"You'll never forget the spouse," he continued. "You can't help it. I will never forget. But I've got to get out there. I've got to be able to say, 'I came out of this and you can, too.' As a human being, I don't think you look for — not a replacement, because you can never find one. I'm learning that right now."
It took a long time for Dog to get over the death of his one true love, but when he started dating again, he was criticized for it, and one of his daughters stepped in to defend the happy couple. “Everyone who’s judging my father should sure pray that they never have to lose their loved one and get judged for trying to fill the void,” wrote Bonnie Chapman. “Your opinion is invalid. My mother would’ve wanted him to be happy. Now please shut up and let me my dad live in peace.”
The two have come a long way since, and are now all set to be man and wife, to spend the rest of their lives together.
Here's showering the couple with love and luck for their big day on September 2, 2021.
References:
https://people.com/tv/dog-the-bounty-hunter-francie-frane-are-getting-married-in-september/
https://people.com/tv/dog-bounty-hunter-engaged-francie-frane/
Cover Image Source: Instagram | @duanedogchapman
