The clock is running out

This is a reminder that time is running out to enter the annual Pug Life Ministries NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket Challenge "Take On the Ayatollah" Contest™. Brackets must be filled out and entered in the Pug Life Ministries group by the tip-off of the first game Thursday morning. Congregants will be competing for cash, prizes and the promise of 72 pristine sticks of rawhide in the afterlife. Do not delay, my flock!

To help get you in the basketball spirit, here is a video of the amazing Tiki, the pug equivalent of Oklahoma star Blake Griffin.

NCAA Tournament contest

The NCAA Tournament tips off Thursday (the ministry does not formally recognize the silly 64 vs. 65 play-in game), and you know what that means: It is time to enter the annual Pug Life Ministries NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket Challenge "Take On the Ayatollah" Contest™.  Prizes include $10,000 cash, a $5,000 Best Buy gift card and a sacred relic from the ministry's online gift shop. There is no entry fee, and given the unpredictable nature of the tournament, basketball knowledge is strictly optional. It may, in fact, prove to be a hindrance. In past contests, successful strategies have included picking favorite uniform colors, choosing dog-friendly mascots and tossing darts. Do you have what it takes to beat the ayatollah? Probably not. But there's no harm in trying. 

Click here to join the Pug Life Ministries group and fill out your bracket. 

NCAA Tournament contest

Last night, I received a plea from one of the ministry's congregants, who also happens to be a decorated member of the Armed Revolutionary Forces. "Mugsy, great spiritual leader," Braxton barked, "will we be doing the NCAA BB bracket challenge this year?"

And the answer is yes. The Pug Life Ministries NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket Challenge "Take On the Ayatollah" Contest™ is back by popular demand. All entries must be in before the first game tips off Thursday morning. Prizes include $10,000 and a gift from the ministry's online store.

Click here to join the Pug Life Ministries group and fill out your bracket.

Valentine's Day contest

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, my flock. This is always a stressful time for me, with so many of my harem mates angling for my affections. But this year, it is doubly stressful. In addition to the pressures of this pagan holiday, I am facing an impending nomination deadline for the Nobel Peace Prize. This will be my fourth straight year to enter, and this time, God willing, I intend to win. But I cannot do it without your help.

I have come to the conclusion that the missing piece in my application is an impartial accounting of my greatness. Certainly, I try to paint a picture for the judges, in my own modest way. But I suspect that they do not understand the depths of devotion my teachings inspire. They have not heard from the heathens I saved, the lepers I healed. So I invite you, dear readers, to augment my Nobel Prize application with your own testimonial, in the form of a romantic Valentine's Day haiku.

A source tells me that this is how Al Gore won the most recent prize, and its accompanying cash award. But I am not requiring anyone to take part. You will not be excommunicated if you choose not to document your love for me and the ministry. But those who take part will be entered in a contest for a fabulous prize from the ministry's gift shop.

To enter, send your Valentine's Day haiku to ayatollahmugsy@gmail.com or send me a message on my MySpace page or my new Facebook page. Please put "haiku" in the subject line. The deadline to enter is 10 a.m. Thursday.

If I receive a sufficient number of entries, I will post photos of the Valentine's Day party I attended over the weekend in which young Wendell competed in a slobber-filled contest for the title of best kisser.

Wish me luck

Jackson, a wire fox terrier in the United Kingdom, is hosting a canine beard and moustache contest. I think this could be right up my alley.