STOP SCROLLING: Ellen DeGeneres Just Spilled Her Wildest Animal Rescue Tales—And They're Unreal!

Ellen DeGeneres opens up on saving coyotes, blazing trails, and giving a sparrow mouth-to-mouth. Oh, and dogs, naturally.

Last reviewed and updated: January 13, 2026

Some dogs, like Chaser—the Border Collie famous for knowing the names of over 1,000 toys—can learn hundreds of vocabulary words. But researchers say that skill is rare.

Through most of the mid-to-late nineties, my pals knew not to ring me on Wednesday nights during one special half-hour. For 30 minutes I had a date with Ellen Morgan, the made-up funny lady brought to life on comedian Ellen DeGeneres' show Ellen. But my sacred Wednesdays meant more than just flipping channels for a laugh. Wednesdays with Ellen turned into something like a young writer's church for me. I picked up my first priceless work lessons: comedy can be kind. Hollywood can be human.

If the late nineties were about coming out, the new century was about coming back. After riding out her own mix of personal and work storms, a tougher, wiser, more herself Ellen rose like a true phoenix. She lit up the stage hosting a post-9/11 Emmy Awards. Her gift for hooking a crowd with a mix of humour and heart hinted at what was next: the launch of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which landed right after her huge win voicing Dory in the Oscar-winning Finding Nemo. With more award wins than you can count on every limb, plus a standout turn hosting the 79th Academy Awards, here's an Ellen who's found her stride. In every sense.

“Of course, we cannot claim this is an ability that only belongs to Border Collies,” says Fugazza, “but indeed it does seem to be more frequent in [them].”

The researchers hope the challenge inspires more owners of linguistically gifted dogs to step forward so they can join future studies.

As I pull into the lot at NBC's Studio 11 in Burbank for our midday chat about her love for all things animal, you can feel this is where a mountain of DeGeneres-driven dancing happens. The irony isn't lost on me when I'm told today's taping is for Wednesday's show. After all, Ellen, me—and Wednesdays—go way back.