Welcome to Pet Talk apbtmom76!!! I think people are overeacting to your statement a bit and sure showing you plenty of hospitality for being new on this forum!
Where I live, dogs can go in stores besides petstores. Tractor Supply, Lowes, etc. I've never taken mine but have known people who have. One lady even had a dog in the post office one day, a little dog she was holding.
I know you have well trained, well behaved dogs Tye and set a good example for the breed. Must be, being new, you can't make a little rant thread.