Have you rescued a pet? Tell us your story

Do you have an animal that you rescued from abuse, neglect or a life on the streets? We want to hear about it. Share your story and upload a picture of your rescued pet to our photo gallery. Also: We’re hosting an online video discussion, via Google+ Hangout, next Tuesday, and we’d like to invite L.A. Times readers to share their experiences with rescue pets.

Why are we tackling a topic like rescue pets?

On the front page of today’s Los Angeles Times we told the story of an old, sickly German shepherd who was abandoned in an El Monte junkyard and left to die. An unlikely band of animal rescuers -- including a Hollywood cinematographer, an actress, a retired Beverly Hills record producer, an El Monte vet, a financial analyst for Southern California Edison and this writer -- refused to let that happen.

Now we want to hear your rescue story.

Write rene.lynch@latimes.com and briefly tell about your rescue. Your story can be about rescuing a dog or a cat or a -- well, let’s just see what you’ve got. You can also leave a comment here or on our Google+ page.

One inspirational story has already come from reader Scott Barton of Silver Lake. He adopted a St. Bernard from Smashface Rescue, after the dog was found wandering the streets of Van Nuys, hungry and scared. Now, as you can see from the photo above, that St. Bernard is living large under Barton’s care: “I named him ‘Noble,’ and he’s basically a 105 lb. Beanie Baby,” Barton says.

To participate in our Google+ Hangout: You must have a Google+ account, a webcam and, ideally, a wired Internet connection. (A wired connection is a bit more reliable than a wireless connection, but if wireless is all you have, please still throw your hat in the ring.) You also must be available on Tuesday at noon Pacific time, preferably at home with your rescue pet at your side for all of us to see.

For those of you not participating on camera, let this be an official invitation to watch the Hangout on Tuesday. We welcome your comments and questions and will try to address them during our discussion.

[Updated, 6:55 p.m.: An earlier version of this post failed to give credit to Smashface Rescue for being the ones to find the lost St. Bernard in Van Nuys, and then helping the dog find his “forever” home with Barton. Take a bow, Smashface Rescue!]

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Join Rene Lynch on Google+ and Twitter. Email: rene.lynch@latimes.com