The people of Footscray are battlers and so is their football team. The 'mighty' Bulldogs haven't won a premiership since 1954. The club is close to broke and the AFL keeps trying to kill them off for the sake of the national competition. Year of the Dogs is a documentary following the fortunes of the Footscray Football club, its players, fans and staff as the club struggles to survive the 1996 Australian Football League season.