It's the first Olympics since Derek Stepan brought Jake home from Sochi
From Olympics to Olympics, Stepan's dog has come a long way.
Hooray for the Summer Olympics! August is typically a pretty dead month for sports, really with just baseball and the beginnings of the NFL season starting. But every four years, we get a reprieve from the summer doldrums with two straight weeks of the best athletics in the world.
This year, the Summer Olympics are in Rio de Janeiro. They're the first Olympics to take place since the Winter edition in Sochi back in 2014, when there were some New York Rangers among the competition.
In other words: these are the first Olympics since Derek Stepan brought Jake home.
Stray dogs throughout Sochi became a story during the Winter Olympics, ultimately resulting in several athletes choosing to bring them home with them. And according to Stepan via People, while Jake still has some anxiety issues, he's come a long way since his first Olympics:
"Jake had a high level of anxiety when we first brought him to New York, and it still takes some adjustments when he is getting to know people. But now, people say Jake is a great dog, and he has allowed himself to not be scared."
...
"His favorite thing to do is play with other dogs, he is high energy and loves to wrestle, wrestle, wrestle!"
He's also apparently incredibly spoiled - which is definitely a good life to be living.
Here's to the Stepans and Jake on their first Olympics truly together!