Dog The Bounty Hunter has told DailyMailTV about his wife's brave battle with stage four lung cancer, saying 'My baby has cancer and she is fighting like hell.'

The 66-year-old reality show star, whose real name is Duane Chapman, is famous for his tracking down tough fugitives with his 51-year-old wife Beth.

The couple are currently filming 10 episodes of 'Dog's Most Wanted', debuting on WGN America later this year, despite doctors telling Beth in December she had lung cancer.

Tearful Dog said, 'My baby has cancer and she is fighting like hell. I have cried a lot over this because Beth is my everything.'

'Despite all of the obstacles I have overcome, this is by far the biggest test of my life and mark my words, I will not let her die.

'She is my rock and my bodyguard. I will do everything I can to keep her here.'

In his emotional interview, Dog also revealed he now wants to see drug-addicted fugitives he catches spared a prison sentence and instead placed in a rehab program he has set up in a bid to stop them re-offending.

Duane 'Dog' Chapman, pictured with wife Beth Tuesday night in Los Angeles, said of her: 'She has told me repeatedly that if these are her last days on earth she wants to spend every moment with me on the hunt'

Speaking of Beth's medical condition, Dog explained how his wife had used chemotherapy to fight throat cancer in 2012.

But it took a terrible toll on his wife, who he married in 2006, leading to her spitting up blood, withering down to 140-pounds and losing her golden locks.

He said, to fight lung cancer, Beth is opting for a different treatment through a professor that has been easier on her body.

Dog said: 'If this were me, I would be a big sissy. But not Beth. She is still hitting the ground running with me. Beth is determined cancer won't slow her down.

'In fact, I am so amazed by Beth's strength and positive attitude.

'She has told me repeatedly that if these are her last days on earth she wants to spend every moment with me on the hunt, living life to the fullest and enjoying the time we have left together.

'The best part of my job is having her by my side on every journey. I can't imagine a day without her and think deep down inside she is always concerned for my safety because she wants the security of knowing I come home to her every night.'

Dog, who has spent 40 years putting fugitives behind bars, said he now realizes rehab - and not prison - is the solution for many of the criminals who re-offend to feed a drug addiction.

He acknowledged how the widespread opioid epidemic in the United States is filling prisons with people who committed crimes to get a fix.

His views fall in line with bi-partisan criminal justice reform legislation signed into law by President Trump in February, known as The First Step Act.

The Act pushes for the early release of federal prisoners who successfully complete drug rehabilitation programs. Currently half of all federal prisoners are incarcerated due to drug offenses.

Dog revealed to DailyMail TV he wants to avoid putting drug-addicted fugitives in prison, instead having them go into his ''Naked, Addicted and Afraid' rehab program.

Bounty Hunter Duane 'Dog' Chapman (above) speaks at rehab facility Treatment Alternatives in Boca Raton, Florida where he is setting up his 'Naked, Addicted and Afraid' program

In a scene from WGN America's new show 'Dog's Most Wanted', debuting later this year, Duane 'Dog' Chapman (far right) is seen catching fugitives. Wife Beth is pictured far left

The 'Naked, Addicted and Afraid' program takes between 40-65 days and is based at Treatment Alternatives, in affluent Boca Raton, Florida

Dog is partnering with addiction experts at Boca Raton, Florida-based Treatment Alternatives to set up the program for the people he has caught - and intends to take it nationwide.

Dog told DailyMailTV: 'We need to break the cycle of seeing drug-addicted people get out of prison and re-offend just to get another fix.

'I have spent my 40-year career catching people like these. The cycle needs to end right now.

'Jailing people who only committed crimes to feed their drug addiction, putting them in prisons where they can continue getting high on the black market, makes no sense.'

The program, paid for either by the participant's health insurance or federal and state grants, takes place at the luxury facility in one of Florida's most-affluent areas and boasts a large swimming pool.

The program takes between 40-65 days and is based at Treatment Alternatives, in affluent Boca Raton, Florida. Facilities include a large swimming pool

But Dog stresses program members will find it tough going.

He said: 'My facility program is not the soft option. Dealing with addiction for these people will be one of the toughest things they have ever had to endure.

'I hope courts will see the facility I am setting up as a sensible alternative to general incarceration. It will first be based in Florida but I would like to set up similar facilities nationwide.'

Explaining the 'Naked, Addicted and Afraid' facility program, Dog said: 'Once they are tracked down by my team, the fugitives will be brought to the Treatment Alternatives facility.

'It is going to be a 40-65 day program aimed at weening addicts off of drugs by enrolling them in classes that will aid them in getting clean and sober.

'A team of counselors, doctors, nurses and psychologists will begin putting them on the new path they must stick to. Trying to escape and make a run for it is not an option.

'I spent six months looking for the right facility to work with, where the costs were affordable and it was a clean, safe and encouraging environment.

'When I use the word 'naked', it is because when you are coming here, you have to peel away the layers and completely expose yourself so you can take the first step towards recovery.'

'My goal is to give people a natural high.'

Dog says his philosophy comes from real life experience.

'People do drugs because it provides a pleasure they feel they can't get anywhere else.

'But they can get the same satisfaction from things such as getting a job, having a family, meeting someone special, taking care of a pet, the foundations and reasons that make people feel validated.'

Dog and Beth are starring together in the new reality show 'Dog's Most Wanted' which debuts on WGN America later this year

Dog and Beth are looking forward to their new reality show 'Dog's Most Wanted' which debuts on WGN America later this year.

Dog says WGN America has committed to ten episodes and five shows have already been shot.

He said: 'On one level the series will seem similar to my original program. Beth and I are still going coast to coast capturing people on the lam.

"However, in this installment, we are upping the level of intensity on how we capture these fugitives, the level of their crimes and where we will find them because these folks are more dangerous than anything you have seen in seasons past.

'Basically the stakes are higher to get them behind bars.'

As well as his rehab program and new television series, Dog also revealed he is starting a 30-minute weekly podcast called 'Agents of Recovery' with addiction expert Scott Jones.

Dog said: 'The objective here is to start a conversation about how one can become an addict, the symptoms one can look for and then open up the floor for a q&a with listeners.

'It is so vital for me to connect with my fans especially since 85% of the people I have captured have gone on to do amazing things with their lives and that is something I want to continue pushing.'