Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman sat with the Christian Post for a video interview to discuss how Dog is turning his sights on human traffickers. The couple stated they were inspired to start a foundation, called the D.O.G Foundation to help victims of human trafficking after he and his wife, Francie Chapman, joined Francie’s friend Katie Souza to do prison ministry. The couple have both experienced the effects of jail time and drugs, with Dog having spent 18 months in prison in the 70s after he partook in a robbery that turned deadly and Francie stated she has experienced “street life” and drugs as well as being molested and being in an abusive relationship. Dog, who had walked away from Christ at the time of his arrest, ended up returning after his experience and has since spoken very openly about his faith.  Francie, whom he married in 2021 after the death of his wife, Beth, echoed the sentiment. “Dog and I know that God brought us together in the most miraculous way for His purpose — to bring glory to Him and to the Kingdom,” she said.

The couple cited their Christian faith as the motivation for their new foundation. “Part of our plan in The D.O.G. Foundation is that we want to show these women how loved they are by the Lord. First and foremost, we want them to know because that’s what changed Katie and I’s life is an encounter with the Lord. Knowing how loved we are by Him and then teaching them that they can get healed from all the things that they’ve been through, and the lives that they were in,” said Francie. The organization will focus on helping women to get out of the life and give them the skills they need to stay out. “We will coach. Instead of a handout, we’re giving a hand-up. They got to have that. We all were [there],” said Dog. “We had to be caught. We had to be threatened. We had to be coerced. We had to be loved to be able to get in that position. So we know how to get to the top of that mountain because we climbed it.” His wife added, “Dog and I’ve been there, and Katie has been there. And so, we know what it takes to help walk alongside someone and help them come up. It’s about lifting them up. It’s not just about letting me teach you how to do this, and then you go out and do it. It’s walking alongside them. It’s walking them through the pain and the trauma and the hurt and the low self-esteem.”

Instead of just focusing on bounty hunting, Dog will work with a team of former law enforcement officers to hunt down perpetrators of trafficking and grooming. Dog’s team is made up of individuals he met while chasing down Brian Laundrie, who had been accused of killing Gabby Petito before taking his own life. In speaking about his team, Dog said, “In your early 50s, it’s a mandatory retirement from the federal government. Sorry for all the youngsters out there, but the Bible says that you inherit wisdom and knowledge after 50. These guys have 20-some years left in them to hunt.” Current estimates of human trafficking show that around 24.9 million people globally, mainly women and children, are currently in some sort of forced labor or sexual exploitation. That number jumps to 40 million when forced marriages are added in. Child marriage is the most common form of forced marriages, with an estimated 12 million girls being married off annually before the age of 18. Despite the staggering statistics, Francie spoke positively of the initiative. “If we can rise up in all of the bad that happens and use that to build strength in us for what God’s called us to, to help other people, that’s how we win. That’s how the devil loses. That’s how we kick the devil in the teeth.”

If you suspect anyone to be a victim of trafficking, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free hotline at 1-888-373-7888.