In the course of his job as Head of Ranch Security, Hank the dog is asked to guard five chicks, despite the fact that poultry is his favorite kind of dinner.

Hank the Cowdog has seen dry summers in his years as the Head of Ranch Security, but nobody on the ranch has seen a drought like this. Ponds have dried up, the creek is down to a trickle, pastures have turned to burned toast, and the cows are kicking up clouds of dust. Then, to top it all off, Pete the Barncat hatches a dastardly plot to ruin Loper's birthday! The last thing the cowboys need is a prairie fire, but that's what they get, and it begins...

Everyone knows that a cowboy will rope anything that moves: cows, dogs, cats, bales of hay, unsuspecting fellow-cowboys... So, when some local goats escape their pen and turn up near Wolf Creek, Deputy Kile knows just who to ask to help him round them up: Slim Chance. Hank and Slim spring into action and go in search of the lost goats, but they could never have foreseen the dangers and surprises they'd face in the course of this rodeo rescue mission....