A book about an internationally-known rescue dog is set to be launched in Valencia on Saturday, with a portion of the proceeds from book sales going toward the Acton-based dog rescue the Brittany Foundation, event officials announced Wednesday.

Written by longtime Santa Clarita resident Janet Squires, “Monty: The Courageous Survival of a Rescue Dog” tells the story of Monty, who was abused and abandoned in a desert. He gained worldwide attention and thousands of fans after his rescue was publicized through an 18-month social networking campaign, according to a news release.

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“I started following Monty’s story when he was first rescued and I did what most of the people that got involved did: I donated money to help with his medical expenses,” Squires said. “But I realized that as an author, I had an opportunity to do more than that. I thought this was a story that needed to be shared. It’s a way to draw some attention not only to what he was going through, but what abused and abandoned dogs go through on a daily basis, and also to inform people about the needs of animal rescue groups.”

Monty, who is currently “healthy and happy” in his “forever” home, has become an ambassador for other abused and abandoned dogs, as well as an inspiration to humans about second chances and never giving up, officials said.

Barnes and Noble officials, who are hosting the launch, are donating a portion of the proceeds from every sale of Monty’s book to the Brittany Foundation. Squires is also donating a portion of her proceeds to Animal Rescue Volunteers, an organization that was involved with Monty’s recovery.

“I decided when I started writing the book that I was going to donate a portion of the proceeds of every sale of every book to animal rescue organizations,” she said. “I was particularly interested in looking for groups that didn’t have deep pockets and operated on a mostly volunteer, small donor basis. Brittany Foundation came to my attention and I was really impressed, so that’s the group I selected.”

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Brittany Foundation officials are planning to use the donation to help save the lives of even more dogs from shelters.

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“When we get the money, we’ll put it into a general fund to go and pull dogs out of shelters,” said Nancy Anderson, the organization’s founder. “That usually will take up a big chunk… We follow up with a visit to our vet because we want to make sure the dog is in good shape. We never know what we’re going to find with any dog from a shelter.”

Brittany Foundation board member and author Michelle Sathe is scheduled to be at the event, where attendees can get information about upcoming Brittany Foundation events, adoptable dogs and volunteer opportunities.

The launch will also feature a presentation by Squires, free gifts, special guests, information on adoptable pets and more.

Squires, who is a library media specialist for the Saugus Union School District, has a background in animal rescue, and has saved dogs from shelters, bottle-fed orphaned puppies and worked to raise awareness about animal welfare issues like puppy mills.

The free book launch is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday at Barnes and Noble in Valencia and is open to the public.

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