Dog the Bounty Hunter is in one of the most difficult phases of his life, after losing his wife Beth of 13 years to cancer.
Duane "Dog" Chapman found himself alone for the first time in decades after his wife, Beth, passed away in June 2019. The woman who called him "Big Poppa" and was married to him for more than 10 years died after a long battle with throat cancer. During their last season together of Dog’s Most Wanted he saw his wife hang up her boots for the last time.
"I want to die in my boots," she said in the first episode and by the last one, she had died aged 51. It's been seven months since she left and Dog has been reeling with all the time he has to himself. He didn't mince his words about it either. "I need the attention. I wake up every day and say, ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the baddest bounty hunter of them all?,'" he said to New York Times. Turning serious, he told the interviewer, "I need love."
He has been recently accused by his daughter, Lyssa, of dating his friend, Moon Angell. Calling Angell some choice words, Lyssa went on to berate her father as well for allowing her into his life. However, the broken man we saw at the end of the season of Dog's Most Wanted clarified that they were only friends. Instead of going on a rant like his daughter, who was perhaps trying to save Beth's memory, the 66-year-old bounty hunter simply said he was lonely.
"Moon has been a trustworthy and loyal friend to me for over 20 years. She has been with my family through many ups and downs. All my children are grown and gone on their own, there’s no one left to help me," he told RadarOnline. "Moon is experienced. It’s just that. Who knows what my future holds, but right now I need her. There will never be another Mrs. Dog but that doesn’t mean I have to be so sad. I know Almighty God hears my broken heart and I didn’t ask him for another Mrs. Chapman, but I asked him for a friend and He gave me Moon," Duane added.
He also told RadarOnline that he is ready to date again while denying that he was seeing Angell. "She has just been so good to me. I’ll get really emotional and find myself getting into a dark hole and she will tell me to suck it up," Duane explained. "So it’s been good having her by my side," he added.
Having someone beside him has become important as the Chapman patriarch seems lost after his rock, Beth, passed away. She was his partner in life and when it came to catching criminals. "... it’s going to be a lot harder now without Beth, that’s for sure," said the 66-year-old.
"Dog’s very lonely," said Amy Weiss, Dog’s manager at Brillstein Entertainment to NYT. "I was there at many points in the hospital with him, and it was very difficult. He’s lost, but he knows he must go on and provide for his family."
Dr. Oz added that it was ironic that he was the man everyone depended on and he was using Beth as a crutch. With her gone, "How are you going to show up in your own life?" questions the doctor.
It remains to be seen how he will rise up from the challenges before him which includes some financial trouble. "I’m broke," he told NYT. The years of medical bills and being the father of 12 children has been an expensive affair. He could even lose his Colorado home. He has a few ideas about how to move forward professionally, but it is yet to be seen how those pan out.
References:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/17/style/duane-chapman-dog-bounty-hunter.html
https://radaronline.com/videos/dog-the-bounty-hunter-slams-daugther-dating-cliams/
