Dog the Bounty Hunter may be best known for hunting down criminals, but off camera he has an incredibly busy family life as a father of 12 kids.
The reality star – real name Duane Chapman – rose to fame thanks to his show Dog The Bounty Hunter, which aired on A&E between 2004 and 2012.
His latest show Dog’s Most Wanted aired on WGN in late 2019, and he’s still working as a bounty hunter today.
In his personal life, Dog is a father of 12 and he didn’t actually know about one of his sons until after the tragic death of Beth Chapman.
Meet Dog’s kids
Duane’s eldest child is son Christopher Michael Hecht, whose mother was Debbie White, a woman Duane dated as a teenager.
Sadly, Duane missed out on Christopher’s childhood as they didn’t connect until he was an adult. Duane didn’t even know he existed until after Debbie tragically took her own life.
Dog welcomed two children with his first wife La Fonda Sue Darnell – sons Duane Lee Chapman II, born in January 1973, and Leland Blane Chapman, born in December 1976.
Duane Jr and Leland both work as bail bondsmen and appeared alongside their dad on his Dog the Bounty Hunter reality show.
Dog later welcomed three more children with his second wife Anne Tegnall.
They sadly lost son Zebadiah Chapman at just 30 days old. He was born in January 1980 and died that same month.
The former couple are also parents to sons Wesley Chapman – born November 1980 – and James Robert Chapman, who was born in March 1982.
Duane welcomed his first daughter, Barbara Katie Chapman, in June 1982 with third wife Lyssa Rae Brittain.
Barbara tragically died in a car crash in May 2006.
Dog and Lyssa also welcomed son Tucker Dee Chapman in September 1983 and daughter Lyssa Rae Chapman in June 1987.
Dog and his late wife Beth Chapman welcomed two children together – daughter Bonnie Joanne Chapman in December 1998 and son Garry Chapman in February 2001.
The star also adopted Beth’s daughter Cecily Barmore-Chapman – born June 1993 – who she had welcomed with her ex-husband.
How many times has Dog been married?
Dog has been married six times.
He was married to La Fonda from 1972 to 1977 and to Anne from 1979 to 1982.
He then married Lyssa in 1982 and they divorced in 1991.
His fourth wife was Tawney Marie, and they were married from 1991 to 2002.
He was married to Beth from 2006 until her death in 2019.
He’s now married to Francie Frane. They tied the knot in 2021.
If you are affected by any issues raised in the article or would like someone to speak to, please call the Samaritans for free on 116 123. You can also email them at [email protected] or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch in the UK. In the US, please visit Samaritans USA for more information.
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