Considered the greatest bounty hunter in the world, Duane "Dog" Chapman has made over 6,000 captures in his 27-year career. This highly intense, charismatic ex-con and born-again Christian is a real-life Billy the Kid, minus the guns. "Regulators," he'll often bellow to his supporting cast of bounty hunters, which often includes family members and friends, "Mount up!"
Dog is also the king of the comebacks. This modern-day hero was once a zero after serving time in a Texas prison for first-degree murder. "I am what rehabilitation stands for," claims, Hollywoods favorite bounty hunter.
Over the years, the list of fugitives Dog claims to have either helped catch or single-handedly brought to justice reads like a who's who of America's Most Wanted, including high-profile rapist and Max Factor heir, Andrew Luster.
According to Dog, much of his success is due to his knack for getting the most out of his informants. "Seventy percent of all my captures happen because some good ol' American has turned them in by giving me information," he says.
The spitting image of a maverick bounty hunter (stone-cold blue eyes, long unruly blond hair, and weathered skin wrapped in a skin-tight, sleeveless T-shirt, silver-capped boots, fight gloves and arm bands), Dog is one of only a handful of men across the country that makes a living as a professional bounty hunter.
Along with an estimated 8,000 bail enforcement agents, bounty hunters account for 30,000 to 40,000 arrests each year – all at no cost to taxpayers. Bounty hunters generally make between 10 and 15 percent of the posted bail. For Dog, however, the return isn't always there. By his own calculations, he’s been paid for less than half of the 6,000 fugitives he’s brought in. People have offered him wristwatches, old pickup trucks, and even a puppy as payment.
Raised in Denver, Dog is the oldest of four children born to Wesley and Barbara Chapman. His dad was a welder in the Navy, while his mother was a minister with the First Assembly of God who often traveled to Native American reservations to teach the gospel. Dog currently resides in Hawaii with his wife and business partner, Beth Smith, and three of his 12 children.