desymbol: Man Who Makes Fun Of Tiny Dogs Gets Saved By A Chihuahua, Devotes His Life To Rescuing Them

Even the biggest giants have their soft spot. Only sometimes it takes a special someone to make them embrace it. Bobby Humphreys was the kind of guy who didn’t imagine a tiny dog by his side. The competitive bodybuilder from Maryland spent his time mostly in the gym and laying specialty hardwood floors and surrounded himself with other tough guys, Rottweilers.

In fact, he and his wife of 17 years had owned three of them over the course of their marriage. Humphreys admired the breeds’ regal, imposing look.

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“All guys have egos and it’s a big dick-measuring contest,” Humphreys told The Dodo. “Who can have the prettiest girl? Who can have the biggest house? Who can have the best car? Who can have the toughest-looking dog? We’re all insecure at heart.”

“I was just that ‘Big Dog Guy.’ I never even thought of a little dog.”

However, on New Year’s Eve of 2016, Humphreys’ wife walked out on him. A week later, he injured his shoulder at the gym, requiring reconstructive surgery.

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Without a shoulder to rely on, Humphreys found himself in a deep depression.

“I’m a very sensitive person and she was my world,” Humphreys explained. “I was lost. I started drinking for a purpose instead of just socially.”

As Humphreys’ arm was healing, he tried to get his life in order, but depression turned out to be a strong enemy to beat. It seemed there was no escape until Humphreys’ friend named Constance Rogers turned up with a surprise request, “She messages me one day saying, ‘Do you mind if Lady stays with you for a little while?'”

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Humphreys has heard a lot about Lady, Rogers’ Chihuahua, and wanted nothing to do with her.

“[Lady] had this terrible disposition that was very well-known,” he said. “I just steered clear of her when I saw her at functions with friends. I would just pay her no mind because I wasn’t into little dogs.”

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However, he wanted to repay his friend, who had helped him during his darkest days, so he agreed to take care of the dog.

One day, he came home from work and stumbled upon Lady peering out of her kennel, strategically placed in front of the TV.

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“After about 15 minutes I said, ‘Screw it, I don’t care if this dog bites me or not, she is not going to be sitting in a kennel.’ Connie came over to check on her an hour and a half later and when she walked in, she was totally amazed. Lady was in my lap, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”

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Over the next months, Humphreys’ and Lady really got to know each other.

“I was missing a lot of work, I couldn’t get out of bed,” Humphreys said. “The only thing that was keeping me going was Lady. I’d lay in bed all day with her, we’d play, we got so close. I fell in love with this little dog.”

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Humphreys knew Lady couldn’t stay with him forever, so he began considering another dog. His own dog. Only this time, a small one.

That’s when he found Kira, a year-old Chihuahua with food aggression issues. Later – Harley, and her sister Quinn.

Afterward, it was Bella’s turn. When Humphreys rescued her, the little pup’s nails were so overgrown they doubled back into her paws.

“I started to see a pattern,” Humphreys continued. “So many of these little beautiful babies are being abused or taken advantage of and I just couldn’t sit by and watch it happen.”

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“I’m a big guy, but I’m technically living in this little world, because no matter if there’s 37 [dogs] like there are now, or there’s two, my entire life revolves around them,” he said. “There’s just a heart inside these guys that’s truly amazing.”

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Since Humphreys’ rescue has grown so quickly, even Rogers and Lady are helping him out.

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“The feeling of love that these dogs give me, after what some of them had been through, made me say, ‘Well, now I’m responsible for them.’ They trust me and they look in my eyes and tell me that they love me so much.”