Life Has Never Been Easy For Dog The Bounty Hunter
You’ve probably heard of Duane “Dog” Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter. An American reality TV star, bounty hunter, and former bail bondsman, he has become famous throughout years thanks to his successful capture of Andrew Luster back in 2003. While this accomplishment is impressive and unusual, it seems many things in Dog’s life are rather unusual and extraordinary. So, if you want to learn a little bit more about the infamous bounty hunter, read on.
Early Life
Dog Chapman was born in February of 1953 in Denver, Colorado. His father was a bail bondsman, and his mother was an Assemblies of God Minister. You might be thinking that Dog’s father inspired his career choice later on, but Dog became a bounty hunter for a very different reason.
Early Life
We Are Family
Chapman is the oldest of four siblings, with two younger sisters and a younger brother. He definitely doesn’t have a small family. Dog has 12 children of his own! Not to mention his 14 grandchildren so far. When anyone asks him how many grandkids he has, Dog often jokes and says he’ll start counting them when they stop coming.
We Are Family
Wild Child
Things weren’t smooth sailing for most of Dog’s life. At age 16, he ran away from home and went on to join Devils Diciples, an outlaw motorcycle club. Being part of the club got Dog into all kinds of trouble over the years and was definitely bad news. It’s actually a significant part of his life that led him to become the star of his own TV show later on.
Wild Child
Tying The Knot
When it comes to marriage, Dog has plenty of experience. He’s been married no less than five times so far. His longest marriage has been to his most recent wife, Beth, who passed away earlier this year.
Tying The Knot
Dog Gets Married
His first marriage was to La Fonda Sue Darnell, who he had two kids with. After five years of marriage, La Fonda filed for divorce when Dog was convicted of first-degree murder. Just a couple of years later, Dog married his second wife, Ann Tegnell, and had three children with her.
Dog Gets Married
Dog Gets Married, Again
His third marriage was with Lyssa Rae Brittain. They got married in 1982 and stayed together until 1991. Dog and Lyssa had three kids together, Barbara Katie, Tucker Dee, and Lyssa Rae. Dog’s fourth marriage was to Tawny Marie Chapman. They met in 1988 when Dog arrested her for drug possession. One thing led to another, and she became his secretary, later marrying him in 1992. As you must have guessed, this marriage was no different from the others and didn’t last long; Dog and Tawny separated in 1994 and officially got divorced in 2002. They didn’t have any children together.
Dog Gets Married, Again
Fith Times The Charm
Dog’s fifth and most recent marriage – not to mention, his longest – was to Alice Elizabeth “Beth” Barmore. The two initially met back in 1986, and she went on to marry his former best friend. After going through different marriages, beth and Dog finally got serious in 1995 and tied the knot in 2005. The two shared 14 years of marriage, until her recent devastating passing.
Falling In Love
Dog Gets A Book Deal
In 2007 Chapman wrote a New York Times bestseller called You Can Run, But You Can’t Hide. Dog offers an autobiographical look into the dark moments of his past that have made him the person and successful bounty hunter he is today. Although not as much of a hit, his second book was published shortly after, entitled Where Mercy Is Shown, Mercy Is Given.
Dog Gets A Book Deal
Jail Time
Dog’s story really begins in 1976 during a cannabis deal gone extremely wrong. Dog was falsely prosecuted for first-degree murder and sentenced to five years in prison. However, 18 months into serving his time, he was released on good behavior.
Jail Time
Divorce
His time in prison caused a significant change in Dog’s life including the separation from his first wife La Fonda after the allegations. That’s not all, the problems continued into his second marriage.
Divorce
Turning His Life Around
It wasn’t all bad for Dog because this was inevitably the start of his career. After stopping an inmate from escaping prison, he realized he wanted to start a bounty-hunting career. Even though he was commended for his bravery, he is still not allowed to own a firearm or travel to some countries, including the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
Turning His Life Around
His Big Capture
In 2003 Dog’s name started to blow up after he captured Andrew Luster, one of America’s most wanted drug and rape abusers. This led to the start of his 8 season A&E reality television show.
His First Capture
Wanted In Mexico
Unfortunately for Dog, he forgot that bounty hunting was illegal in Mexico, where Luster was hiding. He and his team were immediately stopped and arrested by Mexican authorities. Dog paid the bail and fled back to the US, making himself a fugitive aswell. The US and Mexico began negotiations over Dog, but in the end, the warrant for his arrest was dropped and he was free.
Wanted In Mexico
Television Sensation
The hit show “Dog the Bounty Hunter” was nearly taken off the air twice by A&E, before it was actually canceled in 2012. In 2007, the series was temporarily suspended after a controversial phone call was leaked between Dog and his son Tucker.
Dog the Bounty Hunter
Dog Gets Suspended
Dog was overheard going on an extremely racist rant to his son about his black girlfriend. The network took this matter very seriously and the incident almost threatened Dog’s relationship with A&E.
Dog Gets Suspended
I’m Sorry
An apology was posted where Dog explained that the conversation was taken out of context. He claimed to not have been upset at his son because of his girlfriend’s skin color, but rather her character. He also expressed remorse for the language he used and acknowledgment for the difficulties black people have faced in terms of discrimination. Finally, Dog asked his fans for forgiveness for his mistake.
I’m Sorry
The Tragedy
The night before his fifth wedding to Beth, his daughter Barbara Katie was involved in a car accident with a stolen SUV. Chapman was devastated over her death and dedicated part of the ceremony to his deceased daughter.
The Tragedy
Troubled Stepdaughter
His stepdaughter Nicole Gillespie brought negative attention to Dog with her bank robbery and arrest in Hawaii. Her charge was with second-degree robbery. Dog hadn’t seen Nicole in many years but he was completely heartbroken and disappointed by his daughter.
Troubled Stepdaughter
Dog’s Daughter Claims She Had A Difficult Childhood
Lyssa Chapman used to accompany her father when tracking down bad guys. In 2011 she was also arrested for banging on neighbor’s doors while intoxicated. Lyssa said she had a bad childhood filled with drugs, alcohol, and chaos. In 2018 she managed to make amends with her parents when Beth initially became ill.
Dog’s Daughter Claims She Had A Difficult Childhood
Who’s Your Daddy?
Leland Chapman is Dog’s son from right before he went to prison. He was too problematic for his mother to handle and was placed in foster care. Leland assumed his father was Dog’s best friend whom his mother remarried. It was only at age 8 that Dog contacted his son and Leland learned who his real father was. He went on to become an MMA fighter and professional boxer until an injury that changed it all.
Who’s Your Daddy?
Death Threats
In 2012 the reality-TV star and his family received multiple death threats. The emails contained violent and sexual statements to Dog’s daughters. Emails like “I’m going to come to Hawaii and murder you and your family in cold blood” were sent to the FBI to begin investigations. Chapman and his family took this matter very seriously.
Death Threats
The End Of A Television Era
May of 2012 was the culmination of the long-running reality show. After the 5th season, there was a discussion of cancellation but it continued for another 3 seasons. The show finally came to an end after its 8th season. This is most likely because laws are being made to make bounty hunters a thing of the past. He then signed a spinoff called Dog and Beth on the hunt, which aired until 2015.
The End Of A Television Era
Lawsuit
Dog was faced with a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in 2015 by a fellow bounty hunter named Charles Fisher. He claimed that both Dog and Beth completely ruined his reputation on their reality show. Fisher justified his lawsuit by saying that it was Dog’s fault he had lost his job.
Lawsuit
The Diagnoses
In 2017 Beth was diagnosed with stage II throat cancer that spread to her lungs within one year. Her condition worsened and she was put in a medically induced coma in April of 2019, and ultimately passed away 2 months later. This was devastating for Dog but he held her hand until the very end.
The Diagnoses
Dog Can’t Catch A Break
Most recently Dog was involved in a scam of $430,000 where the perpetrators were targetting victims dealing with grief. However, his literary agent, Alan Nevins, said that Chapman always kept his sense of humor.
Dog Can’t Catch A Break