What's the best pet class?

When a fierce and unrelenting enemy stares you down from across the battlefield, sometimes having a faithful companion at your side makes all the difference. While some people deride pet class users as playing "easy mode" or relying too much on what they see as a gimmick, we pet class players know better. We know that there is power in the assistance of a friend, there is comfort in a creature loyally plodding by your side through thick and thin, and there is a singular joy in sending them to their doom -- over and over again -- as you laugh maniacally at the awesome power from it all.

So for those of us who always drift over to the pet classes on the character selection screen, which ones do you think are the best? Perhaps it's the tried-and-true World of Warcraft Hunter, or the old-school Anarchy Online Bureaucrat, or the quirky Lord of the Rings Online Lore-master that gets you all peppy in the morning? Maybe City of Villains' Mastermind is all the pet class you'll ever need, or you delight in anything that begins with the letters "Necro-" for your gaming fix. Which pet class is the best, and why?

TH