Who Is Francie Frane? Everything To Know About Dog The Bounty Hunter's Girlfriend — Now Fiancé!
They recently became engaged.
Getty Dog the Bounty Hunter, also known as Duane Chapman, is engaged! Chapman is planning to wed his girlfriend of only a few months, Francie Frane.
On June 27, 2019, Beth Chapman — longtime wife and lady love of Duane Chapman, best known as Dog The Bounty Hunter — passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was only 51 years old at the time of her death, and, needless to say, her husband was devastated at her passing.
Fans of the hit reality show were wondering if Dog The Bounty Hunter would ever find love again. But after quietly dating someone for a few months, he went public with his new lady love in March 2020 — and it seemed as though his family approved!
Who is Francie Frane, Dog the Bounty Hunter's fiancé?
Read on to find out the details of Dog the Bounty Hunter's new lady and fiancé.
Frane is friends with the family.
Francie Frane, a 50-year-old rancher from Colorado, first met Dog the Bounty Hunter when her husband, Bob, was hired to do some work on Dog's Colorado home. Frane and Chapman's relationship started out exclusively as a platonic relationship.
Chapman's daughter Lyssa took their relationship public.
Many Dog the Bounty Hunter fans weren't aware that Chapman was dating Frane until Dog's daughter, Lyssa Chapman, took the relationship public with a tweet last month. Check out her tweet making the announcement below.
Frane's husband passed away a few months ago, and the couple bonded over the shared loss of their spouses.
Even though he and Frane were just friends for the longest time, their relationship took on a whole different tenor when Frane's husband, Bob — who Chapman initially hired to work on his yard — passed away.
The duo began talking more frequently and bonded over the shared loss of their respective spouses.
Dog's daughter said that the family approves of his new romance.
In an interview, Dog's daughter Lyssa Chapman said that the Chapman family approves of his new romance with Frane.
"Francie has been very respectful to all the kids — and to Beth's memory — and my dad is the same way with Bob and their children," she said. "They go to church three times a week and dad is trying to give up smoking — she is a good woman for my dad. He's the happiest I've seen him in a long time — he's so in love and wants to spend the rest of his life with Francie."
Prior to Frane, Chapman had a relationship with Moon Angell, which the family did not approve of.
Before getting involved with Frane, he had a relationship with Moon Angell. He even went so far as to propose to her. However, to say that Chapman's family didn't approve of his relationship with Angell was an understatement.
You see, Angell was a friend of Beth Chapman's, and even served as a bridesmaid in Dog and Beth's official wedding ceremony back in 2004. Because of Angell's close relationship with Beth Chapman, Dog's daughters did not approve of the relationship.
Fortunately for all involved, Angell and Chapman ended their relationship in February 2020, when she turned down his proposal on The Dr. Oz Show.
Chapman's family said that Beth Chapman would approve of this relationship with Frane.
In an interview, Chapman's family friend and fellow bondswoman, Rainy Robinson, said that Beth Chapman would approve of Dog's relationship with Frane.
"I spoke to Dog and I have never heard him this happy, he was crying happily. Then I spoke to her and she was the same crying about how much she cares about him. I think she is somebody that Beth would have picked. I'm happy because he deserves to be loved and I want him to spend the remainder of his life happy," Robinson said.
Although his family approves, some fans don't seem to agree.
After some criticized Chapman for the new relationship, his daughter, Bonnie, had something to say to the haters.
She said, “Everyone who’s judging my father should sure pray that they never have to lose their loved one and get judged for trying to fill the void. Your opinion is invalid. My mother would’ve wanted him to be happy. Now please shut up and let me my dad live in peace.”
Despite this backlash, Chapman himself is happy with the new relationship. His representative said, “Dog is very happy. He is sending much love and aloha to all of his fans, and hopes everyone is staying safe and healthy.”
They enjoy fishing together.
The couple recently shared some quality time together. On his social media, Chapman shared a video that was taken by Frane. In the video he's fishing and although Frane isn't seen, she can be heard talking to Chapman.
The couple tease each other about who will catch the biggest fish and even call each other "babe" and "baby."
They're now engaged!
Chapman's representative confirmed that the couple are officially engaged. A spokesperson for Chapman said, "They're very happy and looking forward to a long life together."
In an interview, Frane opened up about the proposal, revealing, "I wasn't expecting it at all. I think I had gone to pick up some food and then when I came back he had all the lights turned down with just a few lights on and a bunch of candles lit. So when I came in I was like, 'Wow, this is awesome'. Then he said, 'Come in, sit down because I need to talk to you'.
So I put all the food in the kitchen and I came in and he said, 'I know that God brought you into my life and I don't want to spend one moment of it without you'. And he got down on one knee and he opened the ring box and he said, 'Will you marry me and spend the rest of our lives together?' Who can say no to that? It was wonderful."
Chapman and Frane plan to get married after the coronavirus quarantine is over and want to have a big wedding.
Chapman said, "I've had so many fans ask 'When you marry Francie, are you going to let your fans come?' So we're negotiating right now because I want to open it up. I would love to have the biggest wedding there's ever been. I'm sorry but that's just me.
I hope I can talk Francie into it and open it to my fans, the 'Dog Pound,' to everybody. It would be one h*ll of a party and it's just what people need right now. I told Francie, people they need a little love after being locked down. I love the idea of that."
Congrats to the happy couple!
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on March 23, 2020 and was updated with the latest information.