Sometimes the most unlikely individual can pull you out of the darkest of situations. Millions of people around the globe battle a dark disease known as depression, and it can torment the minds of even the world’s biggest, strongest bodybuilders. It doesn’t matter how strong you are physically, everyone needs help when going through a difficult time.
For Bobby Humphreys, the unlikely creature that helped him during his darkest hour was a sweet little chihuahua named Lady. As a world-class bodybuilder, he used to see himself as too macho for little dogs. But when this little furry friend came into his life, it was changed for the better in an instant.
1. Meet Bobby
This man is Bobby Humphreys, the definition of power and strength. Dedicated to bodybuilding, Bobby spends countless hours in the gym to perfect his strong, muscular physique. When he’s not in the gym, he works as a carpenter by trade. Judging by his looks, he’s not a guy you’d want to mess with on the streets.
Bobby’s interests include fast cars and working out, and he’s surprisingly a dog lover. Bobby’s favorites were the biggest, meanest, most intimidating canines, such as Rottweilers or German Shepherds. In fact, he’d make fun of people with little, yippie dogs. So how did he end up with an itty, bitty chihuahua?
2. Trouble in Paradise
While many would see Bobby as intimidating and maybe even scary, the truth is that there’s a soft, vulnerable heart beneath the surface. Bobby was living his life as a tough guy, but broke to pieces when something devastating happened to him.
The woman he gave his heart to was his wife. She was the love of his life. He was devoted to her for 17 years of marriage, but they began to have issues that got bigger and bigger. Despite Bobby’s hopes that things would get better, the marriage began to break down over time. But nothing could prepare him for what would happen next.
3. A Broken Heart
After 17 years of marriage, Bobby’s wife walked out on him. He didn’t see it coming and was utterly devastated. Flashbacks and questions began to haunt him. What could I have done to make her happy? Why wasn’t I good enough? The whole process of the divorce took a toll on his self-esteem and became too much for him to bear.
Bobby’s wife leaving him not only broke his heart, it spiralled him into a deep depression. He shut out his friends and family. One of his closest friends, Connie, was one of those he pushed away. Good thing Connie didn’t give up trying.
4. A Favor
Connie knew her close friend Bobby was in a dark place. She would call to check in on him from time to time, but he kept shutting her out like he was doing to all his loved ones. Even though he pushed her away, she kept trying to contact him, and eventually he took her calls.
One day, Connie needed a favor and she thought to ask her friend Bobby. She needed someone to watch her dog for a couple days while she went out of town. He said yes, but when he asked her what kind of dog it was, he laughed when she told him it was a chihuahua.
5. Babysitting Lady
Bobby agreed to babysit his friend Connie’s chihuahua, Lady, for a few days while she went out of town. Although he agreed to do it, he wasn’t a fan of little dogs and certainly didn’t expect to bond with Lady. Battling depression, he was in a really dark place in his life and wasn’t sure how well he could even take care of her.
What Bobby never expected was that little Lady would take much better care of him than he could ever take care of her. This small furry creature would find a way to reach a large bodybuilder’s heart.
6. A Special Bond
When Connie came back from her trip, she never expected to see such a special bond between her dog and Bobby. For the first time in several months, she saw Bobby happy. Although only about the size of his hand, Lady reached a part of Bobby’s heart that needed healing and lifted his spirits. Because of Lady, Bobby began to take a step forward out of his depressive state.
“The only thing that was keeping me going was Lady,” explained Bobby in an interview with The Dodo. “I’d lay in bed all day with her, we’d play, we got so close. I fell in love with this little dog.”
7. Adopting Kira
Bobby experienced a lot of love from such a little dog, which brought much needed healing to his heart. Babysitting Lady made Bobby realize something. Since Lady rescued him from such a dark, depressive place, he wanted to pay it forward and rescue a chihuahua in return.
The result from this epiphany was adopting little Kira. Bobby rescued her from the pound when he learned about Kira’s sad past of abuse and neglect. He brought her into his loving home where she could have the life she deserves. Seeing her heal and restore even after just a few weeks inspired Bobby to take it a step further.
8. Adding Two More to the Family
Bobby’s heart continued to grow after adopting his first chihuahua, Kira. He decided to go back and rescue two more tiny canines, Harley and Quinn, who are brother and sister. His home was getting louder and full of life, and Bobby was loving every minute of it.
He never in his wildest dreams expected to feel so much joy and purpose from taking care of these little dogs, who were becoming family to him. Bobby’s life would never be the same. But adopting Kira, Harley, and Quinn were just the tip of the iceberg as Bobby began to dream up something even bigger.
9. A Newfound Purpose
Rescuing and rehabilitating chihuahuas gave Bobby a newfound purpose in life. He began to dream and form a vision of a rehabilitation center for chihuahuas with histories of abuse and neglect. To create a safe haven for abused chihuahuas to experience love, healing, and restoration.
The number of rescue dogs in his home started steadily increasing. “I started to see a pattern,” Humphreys shared in his interview with The Dodo. “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.”
Bobby’s passion led him to something amazing.
10. Big Guy, Littles World Sanctuary
Bobby’s passion for rescuing chihuahuas led him to establish Big Guys, Littles World Sanctuary, an organization with the mission of rehabilitating chihuahuas with a history of abuse and neglect. Bobby transformed his house into a shelter for chihuahuas and currently has an astonishing 37 dogs in his care. That’s a lot of pups!
“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 to The Dodo. “There’s just a heart inside these guys that’s truly amazing.”
11. Making A Difference
A lot can change in just one year’s time. From going through a rough divorce and suffering from depression, to being the happiest and most fulfilled he’s ever been, Bobby is amazed at where this journey has taken him. From just one simple decision to babysit a friend’s dog, a newfound passion emerged from Bobby’s heart and changed his life forever.
And the chihuahuas? They couldn’t be more grateful. From horrible stories of abuse and neglect to having a safe home, food to eat, and someone to love and take care of them, these little dogs have the best life ahead of them. Bobby has certainly made a difference in the lives of these 37 pups.
12. Offering Hope and Love
As you can imagine, the bills for dog food and veterinary visits are high, and there’s a lot of noise and chaos in Bobby’s home, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s more love in his home than he ever thought possible. Seeing these dogs have a second chance at life is what motivates Bobby to continue what he’s doing every day.
With the sanctuary continuing to grow, Bobby has been able to hire in some help with his fur babies. He is continuing to dream and make plans for expansion to offer hope to more chihuahuas in desperate need.
13. Inspiring Others
Bobby’s organization, Big Guy, Littles World Sanctuary, has caught the attention of others through social media outlets. With over 170,000 followers on Facebook, his story has warmed the hearts of dog lovers all over the world. He also has a website to promote and inform others about his sanctuary.
Bobby uses his website to spread awareness and give people the opportunity to donate to his non-profit organization. He sells merchandise on his website to raise awareness of the horrors of dog fighting, selling coffee mugs, tote bags, and T-shirts. The proceeds go towards paying the bills of the sanctuary’s costs so that Bobby can continue his mission to take care of the chihuahuas.
14. Bobby’s Transformation
Bobby Humphreys is a new man. This experience has led him through quite a transformation. From going through a dark season of emotional pain and depression, to finding love in the eyes of a little chihuahua which gave him the strength to endure, to finding his life’s purpose in creating a sanctuary for abused chihuahuas – Bobby can look back in amazement and gratitude to where this journey has brought him.
Bobby’s story is a beacon of hope for anyone going through hardship. There is always hope for circumstances to change, and there is always love to be found, even in unlikely places.
15. What’s Next For Bobby Humphreys
The future looks bright for Bobby Humphreys and his household of chihuahuas. According to the Big Guy Littles World website, Bobby wants to create more sanctuaries across the United States to rehabilitate neglected and abused dogs on a national level. Bobby and his team are also producing special dog food formulated to fight parasites, reduce anxiety, and help strengthen the immune systems of little canines.
When Bobby is not working with his chihuahuas, he remains dedicated to bodybuilding. The above picture is from a recent bodybuilding competition. But can you spot the furry friend who snuck his way into Bobby’s gym bag?
