What is the best flooring? Hardwood or Ceramic tile? Engineered or Solid?

[Robin]

I need to replace the berber carpeting in living & dining rooms and hallways. I have 3 small dogs, a husband that forgets to wipe his feet and a mother, 73 living with me. I need stable, attractive, easy to care for, flooring. The living room has a glass sliding door that faces west & opens on to a patio and the backyard and a large south facing window. The dining room has a smaller corner window that faces north and east, but that is shaded by the front porch, and gets a lot of wear from foot traffic between the hall and kitchen. Both wood and tile have pros and cons and I have become frozen between choosing. I know the color range I want in either one and want to maintain a casual, comfortable atmosphere, with warm honey tones in wood or desert sand colors in tile. I just need some experienced voices to guide my choice of which to choose.....If you have either, please tell me what you like, love, and hate about them!