Leaving a p week old puppy in a crate

Question
My girlfriend and I just bought a 9 week old chocolate lab. The problem is that we both work full time jobs and have to leave the puppy in his crate for 8-9 hours monday through Friday and have no other alternative (friends to walk him during the day, ect.). We give him lots of attention when we get home and love him very much but we both feel so guilty about leaving him caged that long. So my question is, will leaving him crated for so long have any effect on our dog in a dangerous way? If so, we are considering giving him back to the breeder but its definitely not what we want.

Answer
I am a big believer in crates, but hate to see any dog left over 4-5 hours. Leaving a puppy shut up that long will force it to foul its crate.  That will lead to all sorts of problems.  Perhaps you could find a professional dog walker to give him a break.  

If there is no way you can find to give him a break, then maybe a puppy is not for you.  If you start with an older dog, it is best not to leave them all day by themselves either.  However, once past 4-6 months, they can go to doggy day care.