Wednesday was an emotional day for Duane “Dog The Bounty Hunter” Chapman, as it was the first wedding anniversary that he was celebrating without his late wife Beth, who passed away last June at the age of 51 following a battle with cancer.
People Magazine reported that May 20 would have been Dog and Beth’s 14th wedding anniversary, and he took to social media to pay tribute to her.
“She said Big Daddy your [sic] going to be so sad when I am not here on our next anniversary,” he captioned a photo of the two of them together. “Why did she have to be so right??”
Dog, 67, has been open about his grief for Beth in the months since her passing. After struggling for some time, Dog found comfort in a new relationship with 51 year-old Colorado rancher Francie Frane, who he is now engaged to.
Dog’s decision to propose to Frane was met with some controversy from fans who thought he was moving on too soon, but he has stood by his decision.
“I need a partner,” he explained. “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.”
“I believe in marriage,” he added. “Beth taught me.”
Dog’s new relationship also has the support of his and Beth’s daughter 21 year-old daughter Bonnie.
“For those who claim to know my mother’s wishes: please remember that we as a family went through every excruciating and painful detail of what was next,” she wrote on social media in response to fans’ backlash. “I had this talk with her, my mother had so much love for my father, she would never want him to be alone. My mom wanted him to be happy no matter what. There is always going to be one and only one Mrs. Dog.”
“Welcome to the pack, Francie,” Bonnie added.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Chapman family on this difficult day!
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