We're doing laminate in our new home because that's what I want. However, if we were building to sell, I'd go with hardwood. I know myself that I couldn't deal with the scuffs and scratches that I know my kids and dogs would inflict on the hardwood. That's why I ruled out hardwood. Honestly, I do think the hardwood looks better, but there are several laminates out there that look pretty darn close. I definitely wouldn't go with the cheaper laminates - me personally, I prefer the strips, not the traditional planks - I think they just look more realistic.

The plastic wear layer of laminate is probably better if you anticipate more dog accidents. A wider plank would probably be better in this case. If the urine gets into a seam, then the smell/moisture will infiltrate the laminate substrate and you will probably have to replace a plank.

You can get click and lock engineered hardwood. It installs just like click and lock laminate. Kahrs has been mentioned a lot on this board as a good brand. The engineered flooring that imitates solid hardwood the best uses a sliced or sawn face layer instead of peeled. I prefer the very thick sawn face layer products, but they are generally high priced compared to solid hardwood. Look for a satin sheen if you can find it, because it hides surface scratches better than semi-gloss.

We have a medium dog and kids and scuffs and scratches are not a big deal with our hardwood floor. They are hardly noticeable because the red oak had lots of grain, is natural in color/finish, and has a satin sheen. Even where the dog jumps onto the bed and her claws have dug slightly into the wood, it just adds to the character of the #1 common wood.

Laminate tries to imitate clear or select grade hardwood and gives a uniform and repeating surface picture. It is generally durable, but it does dent and the surface layer can chip on the edges/ends if not installed properly and/or in commercial applications.