Origami Dog Hawai’i – What is Shannon Nakaya Up to These Days?

Moving 5000 miles away from the only place I have ever called home to a place where I literally know no one except my husband, daughter and our realtor was an adventure for us for sure but it was also a little bit daunting.  Getting settled and meeting new people was first on our list of things to do.  One of the first people that I reached out to was Shannon Nakaya DVM.  At the time,  she offered mobile veterinarian services which was something that was incredibly important to us.  We had moved with our beloved English Bulldog Sadie and making sure she was ok after her long trek from Maine was top priority.  Shannon was the first person to really show us aloha which to this day I am still grateful for. It has been almost 18 years since then and Shannon has done her best to try to “ retire” from Veterinary medicine. Trust me when I say,  I have not made it easy for her.  

So what does a retired Veterinarian do here on island ?  Well, for Shannon the answer was easy.  She has channeled her energy into her art and let me say that it is amazing.  My husband and I recently went on the Kona Palisades Artists 10th Annual Studio Tour which features several local artists, one of which is Shannon.  She started off with her company Origami Dog Hawai’i  and is now also dabbling in sculptures.  

Not only is she an amazing artist,  she is also an accomplished author.   Kindred Spirit Kindred Care is a beautifully written book about making health decisions for our animal ‘ohana.  She also wrote a book about her adventures with her Grandmother Alice called Weekends with Alice. Alice lived to be a few weeks shy of 103 years old.  Both of these can be found on Amazon.com and I highly recommend them.

Throughout the years I have managed to stay in touch with Shannon. She has always been an amazing example of living life to the fullest while giving 110% of herself to helping others in need. Make sure to check out her work online. She can also be found at several local art studios both in Kailua-Kona and Honoka’a.