Meg has had to adjust to my new job this year, which meant going from almost never being home along, to some fairly long day. The days we are all working, she is generally home 8 hours or so. If it's going to be much longer than that, like if my dad (last one to leave in the mornings) is out of town on business, or my mom (first to get home) has a meeting after school, I either have someone come in and walk her, or I take her with me where she sleeps in the car and gets walked on my breaks. I work rotating shifts, so some weeks she's home alone Mon - Thurs, and others it's just Thurs/Fri, because someone is home most of the day on the weekends.
You want to be accused of abuse, try keeping your dog in the car at work! I always point out to people that as long as the weather is okay, she's just sleeping in the car instead of on my bed. They still think I'm evil. Meg loves it.
I'm very lucky that Meg has handled the change with her usual grace. She's definitely in need of more activity and exercise in the evenings now; she used to just crash when we got home from work and be done for the day. But I'm happy to oblige.