Both the 2001-02 and 2002-03 season were winning seasons for the Bulldogs, with the 2002-03 season having them finish in second place overall. Despite a record of 31 wins, 15 losses, 3 ties, and 3 losses in overtime, the Bulldogs were unable to displace the Fort Frances Borderland Thunders for the 2003 Bill Salonen Cup.
In 2003, their crosstown rivals, the Fort William North Stars, started picking up momentum. For two seasons, the Port Arthur squad dominated while Fort William tried to keep up. In 2003, the Bulldogs fell apart while the North Stars began a season that would leave them in 2006 as three-time defending league champions.
From 2003 until 2008, the Bulldogs never had more than 15 wins in a season.
In 2008, it was decided that the Bulldogs should fold into the Thunder Bay Bearcats franchise. Dropping from three to two Thunder Bay clubs was done in an effort to resurrect the Thunder Bay Kings Midget AAA program that had to cease in 2007.
