The cover of the new book Joey’s Journey by Kirk Montgomery.

Former 9News entertainment reporter Kirk Montgomery hasn’t been back to Denver since he left the station 10 years ago. In December he returns to share the passion behind his new children’s book, Joey’s Journey.

Joey was a cocker spaniel adopted by Montgomery in 2007. Viewers adopted him in their hearts and followed the love and adventures between the pair from the day they met to the day they said goodbye.

The book is written from Joey’s perspective, including when it was the dog’s time to “cross the rainbow bridge,” a reference to a popular poem that describes a place where pets wait for their owners. That’s about as detailed as it gets, he says, so it’s up to parents if the book is age appropriate for their children.

“I want the message to children to be that every animal deserves to be loved, every animal deserves a second chance, and that there’s just nothing like unconditional love. And you find that with a rescue or a shelter pet,” Montgomery says.

He’ll appear at a book signing event at the Sam Gary Branch Library in Central Park on December 21 from 2 to 4pm.

“I’m humbled and astonished that my story with Joey still seems to have captured the imagination of so many people from Denver all these years later,” Montgomery says.

The Kirk and Joey team formed in 2007, which was a rough year for Montgomery after losing several family members. He knew he needed something in his life, and he was anchoring the news on a Saturday morning when a representative from the Larimer County Humane Society appeared as a guest with Joey along.

Montgomery says he was drawn to the rescue dog and immediately wanted to adopt him. After a 30-day wait, and with advice from friends, he drove to Larimer County to pick up Joey. The rest of the story is history and one you can read in Joey’s Journey.

As for Montgomery, he’d love to see anyone who comes to the book signing and shares the story, which he says is good for “anyone who’s an advocate for the adoption of shelter pets, and anyone who believes in the power of unconditional love, and the circumstances of how my current rescue Denver (his cat) came into my life is remarkable.”

Montgomery worked at 9News from 2001 to 2014. He’s scheduled to appear on the 4pm news with Kim Christiansen on December 19.