Laminate versus Wood

We finally have some money to have the floors done in the house. We had one estimate done from Lowe's to have pergo and it was $9600 for the entire house minus the bathroom and kitchen. A guy came out from another place to give us an estimate with Armstrong Grand Illusions put it. He said it was one of the most expensive laminates so I'm getting worried about how much it will be. He said it would cost $7.28 a square foot and that includes installation. I guess we will see. He also said the laminate we picked out was almost as expensive as wood would be. I like wood but worry about water damage and pet damage. If we didn't have pets I would probably go with wood. But if wood is almost the same price I feel like it's best to get it. I'm confused. Has anyone else done their whole house? How much was it? Our house is 1700 square feet but we aren't doing the bathrooms, kitchen, or closets.