hi chatwizme, hubby and I work full days too, and I wanted to send a quick note to say I understand what you're going through, we have been there too.
my Billie is very much a people pup, she also has high anxiety. the ex-pen seems to make her feel safe and settled. our eventual "solution" was to add another pup to our home so that Billie wouldn't be alone all day. They are pack animals, after all...and then we realized that Billie didn't have the energy to keep up with a puppy...so we added another one!!
I do feel better, knowing she isn't alone while we are at work. I thought about dog walkers, doggy daycare, etc but there were reasons why I vetoed those ideas. But, short of adding to your family, I did want to say, the pen is an excellent solution - it worked for Billie back when she was an "only child"!
