Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman Breaks His Silence Following Health Scare: ‘I Couldn’t Breathe’

So scary. Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman, a.k.a. Dog the Bounty Hunter, had a health scare over the September 15 weekend and ended up in the hospital after experiencing a heart emergency. Now, he’s speaking out about the ordeal. “It feels much better now,” he told FOX31 Denver on Wednesday, September 18, of the chest pain that sent triggered the emergency. “I couldn’t breathe. It was like I had ran a three or four-mile run. … There’s something haywire of it psychologically. I don’t know. I guess things happen like that. I’ve never … I don’t do drugs.”

“I’m going through some psychological things right now too, so that doesn’t help. I think, basically, I had a broken heart,” Duane, 66, added, likely referring to the loss of his wife, Beth Chapman, just months ago. “And of course, it’s going to heal.”

At first, it wasn’t clear if the Dog’s Most Wanted star had a heart attack or some other cardiac event, and he told FOX31 they’re still not totally sure what caused the issue. When he was first admitted, a rep for the TV personality told In Touch, “I can confirm Dog is under [a] doctor’s care and is resting comfortably. Thank you for all of your well wishes — keep ’em coming.” He checked out late on September 16, and his rep told In Touch the bail bondsman was “overwhelmed by the support of fans and friends from around the world, and is deeply touched by the outpouring of prayers, love, and encouragement.”

Dog’s daughter Bonnie Jo Chapman took to Instagram on September 16 to send some love to her dad following the hospitalization. “Love you, Pops,” the 20-year-old captioned the post on Instagram. Bonnie also posted a photo that included her late mother, whom she clearly misses dearly.

Even months after Duane’s wife Beth died, the reality star is understandably struggling with her passing, and it might just be that the stress and grief are taking a toll on his health. He exclusively revealed to In Touch at the end of August that dogs, Lola and Duke, have been a great comfort to him since she passed.

“They’re in Hawaii and I’m in Colorado and I want my dogs ’cause they know mommy’s not there and they come to me and they just will not leave me. They’re like boom, boom — like two lions, they walk around,” the Dog’s Most Wanted star said. “At 9:30 they come and tell me, ‘come to bed’ … whoever pet the pet of the person that’s gone? It’s not their spirit’s in them and all that, but you feel closer to the person ’cause their frickin’ pet is there.” We hope Duane continues to heal, physically and emotionally, with the help of those around him — animals included.