Duane “Dog The Bounty Hunter” Chapman, 67, is still grieving his late wife Beth, but good friend Francie Frane is giving him hope for the future. “Dog isn’t ready to call Francie his girlfriend, but it pretty much is gearing towards that reality because they both have really been there for each other the last few months. It’s what they both have needed and it is a really nice friendship that just happens to have a few sparks coming into play,” a source tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. Francie lives on a Colorado ranch near Dog’s home. She lost her husband Bob just a few months before Beth died at age 51 following a battle with throat cancer in June 2019. So both Dog and Francie are recent widowers.
“Everyone is happy for Dog and he is happy, but in no way shape or form is Francie a replacement for Beth. He will forever love Beth and is looking forward to seeing what happens with Francie. It is all very genuine and nice right now. Everyone is really supporting Dog through it all as well, which makes things that much better as well,” the insider adds. His daughter Lyssa Chapman, 32, has given her seal of approval, saying that Francie is a “good woman for my dad,” and that “he’s the happiest I’ve seen him in a long time.”
“Dog is taking things slow with Francie, but he feels she came into his life at the perfect time. They’ve been able to lean on each other for support because they both lost their life partners,” a second source tells us EXCLUSIVELY. “Dog isn’t jumping into a relationship, but he finds comfort with Francie and is able to talk openly about Beth with her. He’s still grieving her loss, but having a companion has been very helpful. His kids are very supportive, which helps and he knows they just want to see him happy. He’s taking it one day at a time and seeing where things go, but right now he’s happy.”