Meet Boss. As you can tell, he's one happy dog:

But Boss wasn't always so happy. In fact, here he is just a short while before:

What made the difference? One of PETA's Community Animal Project (CAP) fieldworkers noticed Boss during one of her visits to a trailer park in a very impoverished part of North Carolina, where CAP delivers straw and signs up residents for SNIP's spay-and-neuter program.

Boss' owner had moved out and was paying someone to give the dog food and water, but the "caretaker" was simply throwing food over the top of the pen, which hadn't been raked or cleaned in some time. There was no clean or dry place for Boss to sit or stand. Even his Igloo doghouse was full of urine and feces, and his feet were wet, red, and irritated from standing in his own waste.

Determined not to leave him in that miserable condition, the fieldworker who found Boss persuaded the owner's mother to care for the dog and then drove Boss to her house, where he rolled in the grass. "He was so freaking happy," the fieldworker says, "I thought I was going to cry."

How You Can Help 'Outdoor Dogs' Like Boss

Please always be prepared to help animals in need and you may be rewarded with a smile that you'll never forget—like the one on Boss' face!

It's officially award season, the time of year when our televisions are dominated by red carpets, elegant gowns, and hilarious Ricky Gervais zingers—and oh, yeah, awards are given out too. If animals had submitted the Golden Globes ballots, the roster of winners might have looked pretty similar to Sunday's lineup:

Friend of fowl Kate Winslet grabbed a Best Actress statue for her work in the miniseries Mildred Pierce, and vegetarian Peter Dinklage snagged a Best Supporting Actor prize for Game of Thrones.

In another television category, one of my favorite comedies, Modern Family, with young star and peta2 supporter Sarah Hyland, claimed top honors.

Over on the big screen, The Artist, which includes the beloved animal advocate James Cromwell in its highly talented—albeit silent—cast, cleaned up with wins for Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Original Score.

Congrats to all the winners, and thanks for helping animals win too!

rlv.zcache / CC

If you're left scratching your head after reading this blog's title, allow me to translate: That friendly greeting is Kiswahili for "What's the news?" The response, "Ujima," is today's Kwanzaa value.

Kwanzaa is celebrated for seven days during the week between Christmas and New Year's. Each day is marked by a do-gooding ideal called by its Kiswahili name. Today is day three, Ujima, which means collective work and responsibility. (Saturday and Sunday were Unity and Self-Determination, marked by the "unifying determination" of my family to nab the last bit of Grandma's famous holiday sweet potatoes!) The idea of Ujima is to take on the problems of our neighbors and work together to solve them. In the spirit of this lovely holiday, we thought it apropos to focus on how to help those who can't help themselves.

Please be encouraged to take action anytime you see an animal in distress. Volunteer at your local animal shelter to give animals in need a bit of holiday cheer, or call the authorities about that dog in your neighborhood who is chained outside without proper shelter in this unforgiving weather. And of course, always remember to make sure that the animal companions you're lucky enough to share your home with are given proper care and all the cuddles they can handle!

Another Kwanzaa tradition is to pay respect to someone of African heritage who has contributed something significant to society. Today, I choose the generous Richard Pryor for his unending efforts to stop the abuse of animals. Who do you pick?

Joyous Kwanzaa everyone!

Written by Missy Lane