The franchise was founded in 1981 as the Belleville Bulls, playing in Belleville, Ontario for 34 years before being purchased by owner Michael Andlauer in March 2015 and relocated to Hamilton.

After playing for eight seasons in Hamilton, Ontario as the Hamilton Bulldogs, the team relocated to Brantford for the 2023–24 OHL season; though the move was initially temporary because of ongoing renovations at FirstOntario Centre, Zach Hyman purchased the Bulldogs in January 2025, with the team signing a long-term lease with Brantford and making the relocation permanent.

In February 2023, due to upcoming renovations to the FirstOntario Centre, the Hamilton Bulldogs announced they would be temporarily relocating to the Brantford Civic Centre and renaming as the Brantford Bulldogs for at least three seasons, beginning in the 2023–24 season.

The Civic Centre will also be undergoing over $9 million in renovations, funded by both the Bulldogs and the City of Brantford.

[1] In January 2025, National Hockey League player Zach Hyman and his family purchased the Bulldogs from Michael Andlauer,[2] and signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of Brantford for the Bulldogs to play at a proposed sports complex in Brantford for 15 years, making the relocation to Brantford permanent.