Thanks for your comments guys.
Tom, you hit the nail on the head. He IS a perfect companion! He goes with me everywhere. He loves the car and he always gets super excited when I pick up my keys. I rarely leave the house without him. Obviously, I can't take him into some stores; but, hardware stores and garden centres typically welcome dogs.
Unfortunately, Home Depot Canada recently became a very dog-unfriendly place. Dogs are now banned in their stores. Without warning, even though I'd taken Charlie with me many dozens of times, I was actually forced to leave my local HD last year because of the new policy. Of course, Charlie was on a short leash and behaving himself perfectly; but, they insisted that I leave. I was surprised at how deeply this affected me. I felt very humiliated and insulted. For me, it was as if they had said: "We don't like your kid. Get out." Charlie is my family. He's better behaved than most children that tag along with a parent in these places. Heck, he's better behaved than some adults. So, I switched to shopping at Rona. At Rona, dogs are welcome and the cashiers even have treats to offer to customer's dogs. Over the past year, HD has lost about $1,500.00 in sales to me directly because of their new anti-dog attitude.
However, I find that the vast majority of the places that I take him, he's warmely welcomed and fussed over by both staff and customers. My bank and horticultural supplier actually encourage me to bring Charlie in with me so that they can meet him. He's on a first name basis with the staff at my local Tim Horton's drive through! When I go for a coffee and a sandwhich, I always buy Charlie a gently warmed ham and cheese tea biscuit - no butter. Plus, the ladies at the window always give him a plain Timbit as an extra treat. Charlie LOVES going to Tim's and I love seeing him so happy!