From the box: "The Pound Puppies are on the loose trying to avoid the dogcatcher and a stretch in the city pound. As Pound Puppies are collected the cards are inserted into holders which are specially designed for small hands to grasp. The player who is the first to collect all the puppies pictured on his/her card holder will be a doggone hero and winner of the game." Players start with 4 dog cards in their holder. The remaining cards are shuffled and placed in the center of the table. One card is flipped over next to the deck to start the discard pile. Players can choose a card from the discard pile or the deck to add to their holder. They must exchange this new card with one in their holder. If the dogcatcher card is drawn the player must discard all of their cards and draw new ones. The first player to match all the dogs on their holder with drawn cards wins.