‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ Fans Beg Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman to Wear a Mask in Recent Photos

Dog the Bounty Hunter star Duane “Dog” Chapman has not let the coronavirus pandemic stop him from meeting fans or traveling, as his recent Instagram posts have shown. His latest photos have also featured him not wearing a face mask while posing with others, even though it is recommended that people wear them to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, leading some fans to beg him to wear one. Chapman lives in Colorado, where Gov. Jared Polis issued a statewide face mask mandate last week.

Earlier this week, Chapman shared a photo of himself in Washington, D.C., posing with a police officer. Neither of them wore facemasks. Washington bartender Brendan Ambrose shared a photo with Chapman, where only Ambrose was wearing a face mask around his neck. On Thursday, Chapman shared a photo with a man he met at Dulles International Airport, in which both men only wore facemasks around their necks.

“Those masks will definitely do the job on yr chins,” one person sarcastically wrote in response to the airport photo, adding “you’re supposed to be a role model.” The photo with Ambrose also angered some fans, with one bluntly asking, “Why are you not wearing a mask?” Another wrote, “SPREAD THE VIRUS!” One fan demanded, “Wear your mask!”

Chapman visited the nation’s capital after he helped Virginia authorities track down a fugitive in Augusta County. Last week, he was on the hunt for Felix Chujoy, who went missing after a grand jury indicted him on drug charges. Chapman tracked him down at one of his last-known addresses and Chujoy turned himself in to authorities. Chapman also planned to hold a meet and greet with fans in Virginia, but it was limited to just residents of the Shenandoah Valley due to local coronavirus restrictions. It also appears that the hunt for Chujoy might be filmed for a new series, as Dog’s Most Wanted producer Nick Waller revealed on Instagram that cameras were in Virginia. Chapman’s fiancee Francie Frane joined him on the hunt.

The reality TV star has told fans in the past to take the coronavirus seriously. Back in March, he shared a photo he took with a fan, who said Chapman had a message for fans. “DOG The Bounty Hunter says stay safe out there,” the fan wrote. “He is still catching bad guys. He had lunch next to me today and we talked for a bit. Gotta love The Dog.”

Once Chapman is out and about in Colorado, he will have to wear a face mask. After facing pressure from medical experts, Polis finally issued a statewide face mask mandate on July 16, reports the Colorado Sun. The order will be in place until at least Aug. 15 and applies to everyone over 10 years of age. At least 41,698 people in Colorado have tested positive for the coronavirus since the virus reached the state. About 1,771 people have died from complications of COVID-19.