Each evening at the Maui Humane Society, Cassondra Christman takes one look back at the kennel line before she locks up and goes home.

She has been volunteering since December 2022, and says she’s at the shelter “almost every day.” But no matter how familiar the routine becomes, the goodbye—when the doors close and the lights dim—hits her the hardest.

“It is one of the most emotional times of the day for me,” Christman told Newsweek . With so many dogs in the shelter, she can’t take every one of them out to play on a single shift.

That means some are still watching when she leaves—hoping for a final treat, another moment outside or simply reassurance that someone is coming back.

“I just can’t imagine all the things running through their heads,” Christman said.

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