>>Then a Lab sounds good - but, of course, all pupps tend to be boisterous at times and a big boisterous dog is more of a handful than a small one...
>If size is an issue then a Springer might be an alternative?
>
>My buddy has a springer and it seems like a nice breed. I don't think size is an issue - we have a kennel and a decent size backyard, plus a park right next to us with some wooded area. The thing I am worried about is leaving a lab alone in a kennel for 8-9 hours while we are at work.


In a kennel on a routine basis? Don't you dare. Get some goldfish or some other less evolved species if that's what you want.

Dogs are companionable creatures. That's why we like them. It isn't fair to bring one into your home without intending to spend much time with them. I can tell you most adoption shelters are reluctant to give a dog to a home where the dog will be alone all day. And a kennel is no better, in fact probably worse. Dog jails is basically what they are.

Did you know that after you've been gone for 20 minutes a dog thinks you're gone forever? They remember you when you return but that does not erase the sense of abandonment they felt.