i've read ceramic pads are "Quieter than semi-metallic brake pads, they emit noises that are above the range of human hearing" ---
That's not gonna drive my dog nuts is it? He's almost always in the car with me.

 

It's possible if the brake noise is both loud and at a frequency your dog can hear, but I'm not sure how you'll know without trying it.

Having said that, I'm always amazed at how my dog doesn't seem to care or be bothered by loud or annoying noises (in the overlapping range of dog and human hearing). Both our vacuum and food processor are super loud to me, to the point that I have to wear full coverage noise protection headphones to use them. The dog will just sit there as if nothing is happening. She often makes me vacuum around her when she can't even be bothered to move.

Are you going to ceramic pads because you're bothered by the noise of whatever pads you're running now? I have pretty good (and sensitive) hearing and I don't notice noise from my brake pads, which I think are semi-metallic. I do hear other cars once they're down to the warning strip (or the backing plate) and that sounds like nails on a chalkboard, but I've never heard excessive brake noise from any car I've driven.