A pet project

Renee Carleton, a slender blond Newport Beach hairstylist, is in

the market for a new vehicle.

“I would kill for a forklift,” she said.

Carleton said she needs the heavy machinery to load and unload

pounds of pet food donated to her self-run and nonprofit Pet Food

Bank.

Shampoo bottles, hairdryers, scissors, curling irons, combs and

large bags of chinchilla food abound at Trim Hair Salon in Newport

Beach. Carleton often needs some extra space to store the tons of

donated pet food she receives.

“My clients are used to it,” she said. “There is dog kibble all

around the salon.”

Carleton, 44, personally delivers food, equipment and medical

supplies to shelters as far away as Victorville and Mexico. She has

food for chinchillas, monkeys, birds, dogs, cats, bearded iguanas,

etc. You name it, she’s got it.

The food supply comes from donations from generous pet stores, who

load her van with food. Every morning, before her first appointment

at the salon, the Westminster resident makes her rounds, collecting

and delivering provisions.

“I am the crazy person that drives around and picks up food,”

Carleton said.

The busy hairdresser and pet philanthropist gathers medical

supplies, such as peroxide, alcohol and special prescriptions, from

area veterinarians and delivers them to kennels in financial

hardship.

Carleton, who could not ignore the dire need for food and supplies

at underfunded shelters, said she schedules her hair appointments

around her food bank schedule.

“It’s a full-time job, but thankfully I have flexibility and I can

work around my clients,” she said.

-- Story by Lolita Harper