Using a pet to instance tank?

[Itzmatt86]

Hey folks, I don't recall if it was in classic or TBC, but I remember being able to spec BM and have a pet, the gorilla and turtle especially, tank instances. Just wondering how viable it would be. I know it is not optimal, and I also know it did require an open minded group.

[Legron]

I'm sure it's all started with introducing pet talents in BC...

[Gazpy]

you should be able to do so with bäär, turtle just has awful threat to keep it up.
Just control the pet properly, but don't expect you will out threat anyone with decent gear, it's just to help tank, and not for the high end dungeons like scholo, ubrs, strat.

[Issir]

you should be able to do so with bäär, turtle just has awful threat to keep it up.
Just control the pet properly, but don't expect you will out threat anyone with decent gear, it's just to help tank, and not for the high end dungeons like scholo, ubrs, strat.

You're wrong.
Turtle is the best vanilla tank since it has the higher armor bonus that any other pet (+13%)
Thick Hide + scroll of Protection IV makes it around 7.5-8k armor + tutle has shield wall survive cooldown. Pets maintain aggro equal on this server with growl, so higher armor bonus is better for solo farming.
Anyway, even turtle can't tank 5ppl instances without a proper healer, since turtles don't have enough Defense, Dodge\Parry\Block and -damage% talents, only high armor + resistances, which isn't enough for tanking 5 ppl serious bosses. But it is possible to tank them with turtle and a friend healer.

[Gazpy]

Did you actually try to tank with turtle? I think you didn't, yes turtle is great if you are the only one attacking as you will be healing a lot aswell, but in 4 dps scenario turtle is just useless, you can't hold shit with growl only.

[Zoggit]

Yeah, this just doesn't seem viable in vanilla. You could probably offtank a mob or two though.