Despite rumors that he’d found a new lady, Duane Chapman has affirmed that he’ll love Beth forever.
He and his entire family are still mourning, grappling with the terrible loss of Beth. She was so young.
Now, he reveals that one tool that they use to cope is surprisingly simple: old episodes of Dog’s Most Wanted.
Duane "Dog The Bounty Hunter" Chapman opened up to In Touch Weekly to explain how he and his family are coping with Beth’s tragic passing.
It turns out that they’re using old episodes from their reality career where they can see Beth again.
"I’m sure we’re not going to have it runnin’ 24/7 like some freak," Duane says.
"But if they want to see mom, they just tune in WGN America," he announces.
Duane adds: "The show speaks for her."
That is the strangest (possibly unintentional) network endorsement that we’ve ever herad.
The family got the idea of watching old episodes from Beth herself.
When she lived, she would rewatch old episodes — episodes that featured her late father, Gary Smith.
"I would walk in and she’d be watching that show,” Duane recalls.
“I [asked], ‘What are you doing?’ She said, ‘Oh, just talking to Pop,’" he shares.
Yes, that sounds exactly like Beth.
To be clear, Duane isn’t the only one doing this.
A lot of this is by their many, many children.
"Now that’s her blood, some of those kids," Duane reminds the world.
"And the ones that ain’t her blood," he adds. "She raised."
They miss her a great deal. Any time with her, even just a recording, means the world to them.
Like all families, the Chapmans have had their ups and downs — particularly since there are so many strong personalities in the family.
"[Beth] said, ‘I hope that if I die, … I hope it brings the family back,’" Duane recalls.
He explains that this is "’cause they’re a normal family. They gripe about, ‘They got paid more than me. You love them more than me.’"
Duane happily shares: “[Now], all the kids are getting along very good."
That’s great news.
Duane and the kids aren’t the only ones missing Beth day in and day out.
The couple’s beloved dogs also loved Beth — and they miss her, too.
"They know mommy’s not there,” Duane reveals.
“They come to me and they just will not leave me," he adds.
"They’re like boom, boom — like two lions, they walk around. …" Duane characterizes.
He concludes: "At 9:30 they come and tell me come to bed."
(Honestly, is there any being on earth that loves a scheduled bedtime more than dogs?)
Grief strikes all families. All too often, so does cancer.
Suddenly, you lose someone who was a huge part of your life for years — for decades — for all of your life.
Not everyone is able to find a coping strategy right away, let a lone a healthy one.
To make matters worse, what works for one person might not work for another.
It’s a relief that at least some of the Chapman family have found a way to make themselves feel close to Beth once again.
