The Deer ChaseThe Deer Chase
Brad Orsted - Take It Outside
Brad Orsted shares a tense winter story about his dog Doc chasing mule deer into Yellowstone, revealing a serious, long-standing injury. The experience becomes a reflection on unseen pain, grief, addiction, and the importance of truly seeing both dogs and people who have been running on broken legs for years.
11:11•13 Sept 2026
The Deer Chase: Winter, Wildlife and a Hidden Wound
Episode Overview
- Extreme conditions can push people inward, creating unexpected moments of bonding and self-reflection.
- Pay attention to early signs of pain or injury, in dogs and in yourself, rather than assuming they’re minor.
- Staying present, instead of being lost in a phone, can be critical in dangerous environments.
- Hidden physical issues often mirror long-ignored emotional wounds, especially for those living with grief and addiction.
- Every short stretch of time is significant in a dog’s life, and showing up consistently matters deeply.
“If you've got a dog, go love them right now. Every 52 days is a year in your dog's life. Be there for each one.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? In this episode of *Take It Outside*, Brad Orsted shares a raw winter story from Jardine, Montana that connects extreme cold, a runaway dog, and long-hidden pain. You’ll hear Brad describe December 2022, when wind chills dropped to minus sixty and he and his German shepherd, Doc, camped out in a cabin with Star Wars marathons, chilli, and cheese straight off the block.
As Brad edits photos on his phone, Doc suddenly bolts after a herd of mule deer heading toward Yellowstone’s Black Canyon — mountain lion country, wolf country, and a place where, as Brad notes, “nothing good happens to a one-year-old German shepherd who doesn’t know the country.” What follows is panic, waist-deep snow, and the fear of another tragedy that Brad feels would be his fault, “again.” Doc eventually reappears, breath steaming in the blue cold and barely using his right front leg.
That cosy shut-in stretch becomes the backdrop for the arrival of Hobbs, a black lab whose playful chases with Doc reveal a worrying limp that Brad keeps trying to write off as something minor. The heart of the episode is the “deer chase” itself. The dream Brad had about Doc’s injured leg, the earlier limp, and the reckless chase all converge into one hard truth: “Whatever was wrong with that leg, it’d been wrong for a long time.
He’d just never told me.” The episode speaks directly to anyone living with grief, addiction, or unseen wounds. Brad closes by calling out to dog owners and to people who feel like they’ve been “running hard on a broken leg” their whole lives: they are seen, and this season is for them.
If you’ve ever pushed through pain hoping no one would notice, this story might make you ask: what are you still running on, and who could help you rest?
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