Orysia Dawydiak

Five years had passed since Kira discovered that she was a mermaid adopted by a fisherman and his wife. Her birth parents were merrow royalty who had been imprisoned by their enemies, the shape shifting Finfolk. The Finfolk had also taken over Merhaven, the hereditary undersea home of the West Atlantic merrows. Encouraged by merrow clans and supported by the local fishing community, Kira decided to join a Merhaven recovery mission. Also volunteering for the operation was Janus, a mysterious, handsome young merrow from the North Sea, as well as several Spegars, large merrows from across the Atlantic, who hunted with spears. In the chaos that followed the mission, Kira found herself on an unexpected journey that would take her across the continent and a fight for her own survival.

Small farms and large ranches are turning to dogs as a humane and ecologically sound way to protect their investments. This newly revised edition will make it easy to select a breed, care for, and train a livestock protection dog. Training methods have been refined and expanded, and there's even a chapter on guarding unusual stock, plus a discussion of theory, history and selection; livestock protection breeds as dual companion/working dogs; puppy temperament testing and training. Illustrated. Topics include: What a livestock protection dog can do, Selecting a puppy, Caring for your dog, Behavioral problems and solutions, preparations for a family companion, guarding unusual stock, older dogs, puppy temperament testing and training. Plus much more Please be aware that this older title may recommend some training techniques that are now considered outdated. At the time of publication the use of negative reinforcement and positive punishment were more widely used to teach certain types of behaviors, especially with dogs who display a high degree of resilience. We encourage owners to always use the least intrusive, minimally aversive methods possible. m.iaabc.org/about/position-statements/lima/

Rika is a happy, energetic girl in control of her life and her small flock of sheep and helping her father run their farm and household since her mother died six years earlier. The one thing that would make life even more perfect would be a Border collie pup she could train to herd the sheep. But her tidy life begins to unravel with the discovery of a deadly coyote attack on her flock. With the help of a young veterinarian, and an eccentric breeder of guard dogs, Rika takes on more responsibilities. She encounters challenges which reveal that she has not coped well with the death of her mother, especially when her father and the veterinarian become romantically entangled. Rika is further demoralized when she fails to train a guard dog pup and must return him to the breeder. When the valuable and beloved older dog who guards her sheep is gravely injured because of her poor judgment, Rika slips into a depression. When Rika starts to get better, she takes stock of her blessings, and begins to deal with the changes that are imposed on her. She makes amends with her future stepmother, and the injured dog, now recovered, is returned to her care.