Do you ever listen to your intuition?

I did today and it created a happy ending.

Let me give you a rundown of my day. I start every morning by reading my horoscope. Most of the time, it's just for fun - but every now and then it hits eerily close to home. I'm an Aquarius and this is the horoscope that popped up on my blackberry this morning:

Your intuition is keen today, Aquarius. Allow it to govern you through a difficult process you are about to begin. Not all Aquarians are comfortable listening to their inner voice. That's because, as a practical and intellectual air sign, you are more likely to opt for logic or science to guide you. But you actually have quite an exceptional level of extra sensory perception, and you need to learn to tune into it more often. If you do so today, you will navigate through a challenge with ease.

My initial reaction consisted of a shrug and a "hmm...wonder what that means?", then off to work I went. I arrived in the cold (eleven degrees Fahrenheit), dark parking lot and stepped out of my car to be met by the sweetest black dog with the saddest pair of eyes. Here’s a photo that my plant manager took with his blackberry:

The night shift supervisor said the dog had wandered around the mill, following any kind soul who’d pay him any attention. When he couldn’t find someone to follow, he’d sit outside of security's door, throw back his head and howl. Several people suggested I call animal control and have him hauled away. No way. I knew what would happen to the gentle beast if I couldn't find his owner and he ended up at the shelter. My heart broke and I almost burst into tears as he leaned against my leg and nosed his muzzle into my hand. He wore a collar but no tags. The poor brute was not only lost, he was unidentifiable. All anyone could tell me was that he'd been there all night.

My intuition nudged me. I knew this dog. Where had I seen him? It finally hit me. We've got closed circuit video cameras aimed at the staging area to watch the truck drivers securing their trailers before and after loading. Yesterday, I’d noticed a driver playing catch with his dog while waiting for his turn to load.

I logged on to my computer and searched through the screens until I finally found the portion of the tape I needed. There he was - my forlorn little friend galloping across my screen during a much happier playtime with his master. I double-checked the date/time stamp and zoomed in on the truck number. I was able to locate the trucking company by matching the truck number with the check-in log.

I hesitated about calling the driver’s dispatcher. I couldn't imagine a driver leaving his dog behind. Lots of drivers have dogs as companions on their lonely hauls and this furry friend was big enough to make a person think twice about bothering his master's truck.

A driver and his dog are inseparable. I couldn’t imagine the driver leaving his companion but I just knew this dog was the same one playing catch on the video tape.

I called the dispatcher and warned him that I had a rather odd question. I asked if he happened to know whether or not his driver had lost his dog? The dispatched didn't know but he agreed to contact the driver via cell phone.

The driver stated yes, he had in fact lost his dog while at our facility. While securing his load, his dog chased off a pack of stray dogs always running through our area. The driver had called, "Rocky" and searched for hours but had been forced to give up and leave out of fear of losing his job. He didn’t want to report the dog missing to the mill. Most places he’d loaded wouldn’t have helped him. The driver was ecstatic when he learned we'd found Rocky and asked that we'd please shelter him someplace warm since Rocky was not an outside dog. He promised, if we’d watch over him for just a little while, he’d return right away. He'd traveled 150 miles from our mill but was in the process of turning his big rig around. He’d be there as soon as he could get there.

Security and I stashed Rocky in the scale house office with a sausage and egg biscuit, water and a warm blanket. While she scaled in all the trucks, Rocky slept at her feet. Approximately three hours later, Rocky's rig pulled back into our lot. When his master whistled over the CB radio, Rocky's head popped up, ears perked to attention. As the driver walked through the door, Rocky transformed from a droopy tailed, unhappy dog into an exploding bundle of joy.

Rocky and his driver's happy ending made my day. I'm glad I read my horoscope this morning and listened to my intuition. Do you ever listen to yours?