The Shore Dogs run a smuggling operation along Lake Michigan's western shore between Milwaukee and Chicago, using a fleet of small watercraft — kayaks, converted fishing boats, and a few stolen corporate speedboats — to move cargo along the coastline outside the range of land-based surveillance. The lake is their highway, and they know its currents, weather patterns, and radar gaps better than anyone.

The crew is about thirty-five strong, based out of a cluster of partially submerged boathouses near Waukegan. Most members come from families that used to work the lake — fishing, shipping, harbor maintenance — before those industries were automated or abandoned. They grew up on the water and they fight on it too. Shore Dog boarding actions against rival boats are fast, brutal, and usually successful.

The Dogs smuggle primarily between Milwaukee and Chicago, serving as a logistics link for gangs and syndicates in both cities. They carry augments, weapons, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods, and occasionally people. Their rates are competitive because their overhead is low — boats don't need roads, and the lake doesn't charge tolls. They also fish, both for food and as cover for their movements. A Shore Dog boat hauling contraband looks identical to a Shore Dog boat hauling walleye until you open the hidden compartments.

The crew maintains a strict internal code: no stealing from clients, no throwing crew overboard, and no running drugs that kill kids. That last rule costs them business but earns them a reputation as relatively principled, for smugglers. They've been known to refuse cargo and even turn in clients who violate their code, which makes them trusted by the factions they work with.