The Dogs of War were a band of space pirates, the results of a genetic engineering experiment gone wrong.
History and specifics
Incredibly vicious and ferocious, they were given their named by a Federation reporter; the name caught on to the point where they also started calling themselves by it in their own language (although a more accurate translation would be "unstoppable rampaging mindless beasts"). They originally operated in the outer rim of Federation space, then relocated into the border area of Thallonian space.
In late 2375, the Dogs of War abducted Kalinda and forced her to take them to the Quiet Place. (NF novel: The Quiet Place)