I based my sona off of the dog breed that felt the most like "me" more or less. My sona is a doberman. I actually almost went with lion but I very quickly realized I was not comfortable being something that wasn't canine. Just isn't me. I got input from a lot of my friends, some of whom weren't furries at all but have known me for ages, they all agreed that doberman was the way and suited me perfectly.
I was obsessed with rotties as a kid, and I think my past love of them played a part in my love for dobes. Oddly enough I feel like the "typical" doberman temperament also describes my own personality traits. I don't agree with pointless body modifications on real animals, but I see a doberman with cropped ears and I'm just like... yea that's me. Lol. Feels like looking in a mirror.
Dobermans are also my favorite dog breed and would be my ideal animal companion. It's just correct, there's no other way to put it really. I'm a doberman and I want a doberman mate. To be honest, I'm like 98% sure I'm a therian too lol. My experiences and feelings point to it so heavily but for a long time I chalked it up to being more of a "kink" thing. But I'm realizing now that it's not actually a kink thing at all. Something something, "on all levels except physical, I am a dog. Arf."
I'm not sure I'd say I've chosen my sona due to my zoo or furry preferences. It's more like it kind of found me, or it was kind of always within me, and I just needed to find it. As I explore my identity I feel more and more like in the end this is all kind of just meant to be.