Tragically, Beth Chapman — best known for her appearances alongside her husband in Dog The Bounty Hunter — has passed away.
She led a remarkable life, and we’re here to honor her by sharing some of the most interesting and impactful things about her.
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1. She made history in Colorado.
She became a licensed bail bondsman at the age of 29, which was the youngest anyone has been licensed in Colorado history.
The only person to top that? Her own step-daughter, Lyssa Chapman.
Now that’s a cool family!
2. Surprisingly, she and Dog didn’t meet as fellow bounty hunters.
In fact, they met because Beth was in a bit of trouble with the law.
Dog was a bail bondsman at the time, and Beth was in some hot water for shoplifting.
When she saw him however, it was love at first sight.
3. Beth became a bail bondsman to get close to Dog.
As she hilariously told it, “But I knew on that day that the only way I was going to win this man’s heart was if I could somehow try to figure out how to spend time with him so he could get to know me.”
So she went out and took the test, made history, and met her future husband.
Now that’s a real hustle.
4. Their first show together was “Dog the Bounty Hunter.”
Taking place in their home state of Hawaii, the series followed Dog and his family as he chased down criminals in both Hawaii and Colorado.
It not only showed the capture of criminals who broke their bail, but also the Chapman family’s efforts to urge them to give up crime and start over.
Their heart and genuine efforts to help those in need is what made people love the show so much!
5.Beth and Dog took custody of their grandson.
After the death of Barbara-Katie, her son, Travis, went to live with his father, Travis Sr.
However, he wound up in legal trouble after a tape emerged of him allegedly abusing his son.
Dog and Beth were awarded temporary custody of Travis.
6. Beth and Dog then had their own spin-off show.
Called “Dog and Beth: On the Hunt,” the show had a different format from its predecessor.
Dog and Beth, along with their son, Leland, would fly out from Hawaii and assist bail bondsman around the United States with their cases.
It was intense to say the least!
7. Her father passed away in the middle of the show.
While they were shooting Dog the Bounty Hunter , Beth’s father, Garry Smith, passed away.
Garry had quite the reputation in his own right. He was a professional baseball player who played for Kansas City!
8. She received death threats in 2012.
A number of threats were sent to the family by email in 2012, detailing horrific acts that the sender wished upon Dog and Beth.
They also threatened their young children. The suspect was never caught.
9. She and Dog married in 2006.
Even though they met years before, they made it official in 2006 after 11 years of dating.
They married in Hawaii, of course, and their wedding was filmed for “Dog the Bounty Hunter.”
The bride wore a white gown, and the groom wore sunglasses.
10. Beth was Dog’s third wife.
After meeting in 1988, the two didn’t get together until 1995, and in that time Dog married two other women in between marrying Beth.
11. Their wedding was surrounded by tragedy.
The day before their wedding, Dog’s daughter, Barbara-Katie, was killed in a car accident in Alaska.
They chose to go through with the wedding, and dedicated the reception to remembering her life.
12. She and Dog filmed a special during her cancer treatments.
Called Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives , the special followed them as Beth began her treatment for throat cancer.
Beth was diagnosed in September 2017 with stage II throat cancer, which she documented in their special that aired in November.
Her strength and the love she shared with Dog were apparent in the special.
13. She had to deal with family drama during her treatment.
Her step-daughter, Lyssa, kicked up quite a bit of conflict when she took to Instagram to rant about Dog and Beth allegedly paying for her brother, Leland, to fly out to see Beth during her treatment.
All of this was documented in their series.
14. Beth was robbed in 2017.
While staying at the Luxe Hotel in Los Angeles, she and Dog’s room was burglarized.
Police concluded that there was no sign of forced entry, implying that the heist may have been an inside job.
The thief made off with $15,000 the couple put in the hotel safe.
15. She passed away on June 26th, 2019.
After suffering complications from her cancer battle, Beth was placed into a medically-induced coma.
Dog announced her death on Twitter, writing a touching tweet that honored her life, as well as the things and people she loved.
