Cats: short-haired, but not Siamese (too vocal). Standard British moggie is just fine.
Dogs: I’m not really a dog person, but I do have a soft spot for greyhounds.
Lynn, my meezer is named Sapphire as well. 
Blue-point, right? Mine is. Or should I say, my owner is.
Cats? Another vote for Siamese. But I love them all.
Dogs? Toss-up between your basic lab and golden retrievers. And Clumber Spaniels running a close second. Again, I love them all – though little dogs I take on a case-by-case basis.
bird - cockatiel
cat - maine coon [though i have had some incredible american longhairs and shorthair ‘mutts’
dog - i really really miss my wolf shepherd hybrid a lot, Lugh really was a member of the family. If I was physically able, Id get another one. I cant afford to go out and buy a service dog, but Lugh would have been phenomenal at it. Only had to teach him something once, and an occasional reinforcement kept him working. I even taught him to retrive eggs without breaking them.
Beagles are the best. They are cute and lovable. They are also headstrong and stubborn. I get no pleasure from a well trained dog that does tricks. Beagles are training resistant. Your orders are suggestions that are completely ignored if a good scent arises. They are cute enough to get away with it.
Doggies should be nice, and preferably bigger than I am. St. Bernard puppies, especially with adult Saints, are pretty much the cutest things ever.
Pugs. There are no other pets.
I love all dogs except the little yappy breeds, but the best one I ever had, and my total favorite is the Borzoi (Russian Wolfhound).
As for cats, we’ve had what seems like millions of 'em, but the best of all are Bengals.
Birds: Vulture 
Cockatiels - gentle, good-natured birds
American Pit Bull Terriers - All the bully breeds are valiant, people-loving dogs with an unexpectedly soft side. I know that there are…other…opinions and experiences out there, but all the pit bulls I’ve ever met were either rambunctious athletes having fun or wiggly soft cuddlers. They are terrible guard dogs because of their great affection for strangers. They’re capable of intense focus or wild excitement when playing. They can be utterly silly, but have an air of seriousness when expressing their total dedication.
OMG People love something besides Jack Russels? I loved mine so much that now I have seven.
My Sapphire looks like a sealpoint. She picked me out at the Humane Society. She was a young adult, and had some tabby striping on her back legs, which has disappeared as her coat darkened. She’s not nearly as vocal as most Siamese are, and that, combined with the tabby stripes, leads me to believe that she was the product of a meezer and a passing stranger. I don’t consider the vocal tendencies of meezers to be a drawback. I enjoy their constant commentary of everything that’s going on. Sapphire talks a great deal more than a non-meezer, just not as much as the typical Siamese. She makes a vocalization that sounds like “Mama”, which means that she wants attention. Or your steak.
I named her Sapphire for her blazing blue eyes, and because I adopted her in September, and the September birthstone is sapphire. Her shelter name was Paris, and I didn’t think that it fit her. She was very nearly named Sweetheart, because she loooooves every human she meets. I’m afraid that we sometimes call her sluttykitty, because she WILL attempt to seduce every human male she encounters. This can be rather embarrassing when she tries to interest the air conditioner repair guy in her charms, for instance, and he asks if she’s in heat, and I reply, no, she’s been spayed, she’s just a little tramp.
My maternal grandparents had a couple of Siamese when I was growing up. These cats usually were considered pretty mean, but they were always willing to let me pet them and talk to them. Possibly they tolerated me because I treated them as cats, instead of dolls to be dressed up and played with. The older one was named after a particularly loud local politician, who would give his (usually wrongheaded) opinion on anything and everything. The younger one, his son, was simply called Junior, although his full name was the politician’s name, with Junior added to it. I only remember that the first name was Sam.
Post a pic of Sapphire! (Diego’s shelter name was “Jethro”)
Put me down for Ocicat. They are stunning to look at, have great well-defined personalities and are truly little people in spotty cat suits. The best of Siamese with none of the damandingness.
My Sapphie is the quietest Siamese I’ve ever been around, but when she wants to talk, oy is she loud. But I don’t mind, except for the occasional 6 AM chewing-out. And she definitely picked me; she seemed to really like me at the shelter and once I had her home, within two hours she was lying next to me purring. Every other cat I’ve ever had in my life hid for several days when they first came home, so apparently she realllllllly likes me. There are a few kitty pics here taken a few days after she picked me.
My cat was 1 day from being put down. I had no choice. You think he would be a nice sweet kitty. But no, he has attitude. My wife went someplace and locked him in the basement. I opened the door and he walked across the room meyowing loudly with every step he took. I was getting bitched out royally, and I did not do it.
Not a breed, but orange cats are the best cats.
Years ago, Sapphire slipped out the front door, and then led my husband a merry chase around the front yard. He finally caught her and brought her back in and gave her a swat on the butt. She had Never been So Insulted in her Life. She marched into the kitchen, where I was, jumped on the washer, and proceeded to tell me that she had been Abused, that Bill was the result of a mating between the hind end of a donkey and a female dog, and that I needed to go Straighten Him Out. Some of the subtle connotations were lost, but I did understand that she was Pissed Off at Bill, and I needed to do something about it. I told her not to swat her any more, it doesn’t do any good.
Upthread, I said that she’s smart. She is, she’ll learn something the first time, if it’s something she wants to learn. For instance, she’s learned that if she nudges and paws at Bill when he’s in bed, he’ll wake up, and then he has to go pee…and she can get in his bed and go to sleep in the warm spot he’s left.
I think for a lot of people, this is exactly right. I grew up with a Silky Terrier (or a Silly Terrier if you prefer), therefore they are my favourite breed of dog!
I’ve recently learned of a new breed that I find very adorable - Alaskan Klee Kai. Basenjis are also interesting.
I love all dogs, though, and cats and birds and rats etc. I don’t really have a breed preference for animals other than dogs, though. I like orange cats, but that’s not really a breed, I just find them adorable.
I grew up with retriever mixes, but converted to greyhounds as soon as I got my own place. I love the weird superhero physique of the breed and their alertness and sensitivity. Going selectively deaf when it’s time to come inside, not so much, but ah well. I also intend to own an American Staffie one of these days (aka: OMG, lookit the big mean pibble! Does 'ims wanna skritchies? Yes him does!) just because, on the whole, I have never met a more affectionate breed. The only reason I went for greys first is because I know darn well I’m not firm-handed enough to not turn one of those pups into a spoiled brat.
As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one breed of cats: the short-haired Bulgarian street cat.
Dog: Siberian Husky. I wouldn’t want one, but I think they’re beautiful. Especially the ones with ice-blue eyes.
Cat: For female cats, I love Russian Blues. They’re gorgeous, sweet, soft, smart, manipulative, and wonderful. For males, I love Singapuras. Smart, busy, lazy, sweet, and snuggly.
Don’t really have an opinion on birds.