Given the premise I would love to have a Bear. I’m shocked I’m the first person to say so. Heck you wouldn’t even need furniture just lean back against the belly of your giant tame grizzly with none of the face clawing unpleasantness.
A dog.
Seriously. I’d rather have a dog as a pet than than a chimp or a bear or a komodo dragon. They may be more exotic but a dog is more petlike.
Last summer at the library, a woman came in to pick up her reserved books. Strangely enough, everyone save me crowded around her, eager to talk and catch up. My co-workers were, and still are, a wildly different bunch, so I wondered why on earth they’d all want to talk to the same person.
When she left, I asked around and found out that this woman is a large/wild animals vet for the city’s zoo. She’s had all sorts of crazy animals at her house from time to time, including but not limited to a baby tiger who was rejected by its mother. I shit you not, it rode around in her car with her actual pet dogs, eliciting crazy looks and honks from those in traffic next to her.
A miniature horse, if it could be housebroken. No point in having an animal in the house that you have to follow about with a shovel, and no point in having a pet that you couldn’t hang out with indoors.
One of those domesticated silver foxes from Russia would be totally cool.
The idea of a tiger would be cool… but when the tiger scratches the furniture, are you going to be the one to say Bad Kitty???
But most realistically, a cat. Common, ordinary, garden variety cat. Unfortunately until they come up with a treatment that controls the allergies, that ain’t happening :(.
Holy crap - I could totally get one of those foxes:
http://www.sibfox.com/foxes/
:::: head explodes from cuteness ::::
Wolf.
Though a tame, obedient wolf would just be a dog.
Oh wow, so many! From least to most realistic:
A dragon I could fly on
Clouded leopard
Cheetah
Silver fox
Horse - hmmm, but do I want a Frisian or an Appaloosa?
Sea horses - I’ve seen them in a pet shop, but I don’t think I trust myself to keep the water parameters exactly right.
PsyXe… how about an Appaloosa/Friesian??
Wow - that is a bundle of cute! From the article: Inside your house, they will snuggle on a bed like a cat.
So, yeah, a silver fox is my choice. Or the even less practical Fennec Fox. I would name him Ratchet. 
I think you’re second, but I’m third.
- It can claw and bite people who piss you off.
- You can ride around on its back.
- It’s a giant living snuggly pillow.
- It’s a freaking bear.
For fantasy animals, a pegasus would be pretty awesome.
Good grief, that’s got to be one of the most awesome horses I’ve ever seen.