I've researched A LOT on this and found that Cork is the way to go but you must be careful that it comes from Portugal. Anywhere else is likely to be mixed with something and you want 100%. Cork is naturally water repellent, antimicrobial, resistant to mold and mildew. It is a little pricey but well worth it. A bonus is it is bug repellent and great for those with allergies. Unfortunately, there is no sealant so far that resists ammonia which is the main component of pet urine. Waterproof only means water, we are dealing with a chemical here. That being said, while not resistant to it cork holds up best to the ammonia, meaning you still have to thoroughly clean that spot with the proper cleaner but not within 5 minutes of the dog peeing. Less wiggle room with waterproof sealants but cheaper. Definitely want to go for vinyl or tile if looking for the cheapest route and no floating floors or sticky floors use grout and seal it well and stay on top of cleaning. Again make sure you use the appropriate cleaners. BTW I have 3 Chihuahua's one who is an inbred so had some incontinent issues and another who was diagnosed with diabetes so also has some issues with incontinence it was just suggested to me to try a belly band so I am going to look into that. I hope I was of some help. Good luck.

I too, live in the western part of the USA. Northern Wyoming. I have tile on all of the first floor. It is warm looking- it all depends on the color of the tile and grout, if you want warm or cool colors. If you have animals and kids there is no other in my opinion- for a couple reasons, the main one is cleanliness. Dogs might have an accident- pee/poop. You can thoroughly clean the floor- Clorox it. Clorox is not recommended on linolium (at least the ones I looked at- on the back of the samples it says how to clean). Kids can be just as dirty, sometimes! You can't wash/clorox carpet. Carpet is beautiful, but not very sanitary. If you have any allergies, carpet is absolutely out- it carries dust, dustmites. If you choose a wood, you can keep your dogs toenails cut short, and then they won't damage the wood with claw scratches. Your dogs toenails should be short enough that you do not hear them 'click' when they walk/trot across the floor. Just clip them every other week. You should do this anyway, no matter what you have for a floor! You can put radient heat under tile- it is the nicest heat. For myself, I don't like a 'furnace'- they blow forced air, which is dirty from the ductwork, blowing dust around. It is also drying to the skin/eyes/furniture. Any kind of heat that does not 'blow' is better for allergies/asthma. Tile is cooling in the summer it makes your room a degree or so cooloer. (not much, but anything helps).

@Samantha - I've got Wilsonart in a Walnut finish - it was put in 10 years ago, so I don't remember if it had a 'model name', just that it's Wilsonart and the finish is Walnut. I do remember that it was more expensive than a similar Pergo, but not significantly so. It was installed floating, but with each board edge glued to the next board, so water really doesn't get in between the boards, at least not in the past 10 years. That may be why it's held up so well, or it might be due to the manufacture. It also sounds just like the oak HW I had in another house when walked/run on. Unfortunately, Wilsonart quit making laminate flooring this year; I'm giving serious consideration to trying to find a flooring company locally that has enough in stock to do the rest of my house.

I know low gloss is all the rage....but people have issues with oily paw prints showing up with matte polyurethane finishes. The Hardwax oil finishes have had issues with DOG DROOL turning gray/brown/staining. Personally I LOVE a light/natural coloured floor (like hickory or character grade white oak) that has lots of movement (no stain) in a satin or semi-gloss finish. A factory finish SOLID hardwood is a great option as the factory finishes are often made using aluminum Oxide or ceramic infused nanobeads = SUPER TOUGH finish (hard to scratch). The LIGHT/natural gold tones are VERY forgiving. The MODERATE gloss levels like satin and semi-gloss are VERY forgiving. The FACTORY FINISHES with either Aluminum Oxide or Ceramic infused polyurethane are VERY tough. So....simply ADD all those qualities together and you get this type of purchase: Solid prefinished (aka factory finished) natural hardwood (no stain) in a satin or semi-gloss (personal choice). That's what you are looking for. Have fun.