Have trained pets been changed?

As the title says, either I encountered one of those extremely rare events occurring, or the trained pets from the Beast Farm have changed.

Allow me to elaborate. Normally when I train a beast from the farm and then run to Valley of the Saints, it either dissapears enroute (even though VoS is right next to the Beast Farm), or only lasts for 15 minutes at most. But during this time it would both give 3 out of 6 random buffs, heal and recharge.

Yet last night one buffalo lasted for more than 100 minutes, and might very have lasted longer if I hadn't run out of crystal spice. Given that my next highest record was 15 minutes until leaving even when I did have food in my inventory, there seems to be some discrepancy. While it did randomly buff, during this time it failed to either heal or recharge, even when I was at 200 hp and 0 mp. Without repeating this, which I'm now going to have to do, would anyone else agree there was some background patch which now allows trained pets to remain perpetually with their new master's provided they enough food but disabled their old healing abilities?

My Trained Cougar followed me out of the Beast Farm tonight and down the road to the FotD. He scampered off just before crossing the bridge.

*shrugs*

First time I'd tried it though, so I couldn't say.

~M~

i havent had a problem keeping mine ever i got one to follow me down to dvc but revcentley a clannie saw one inn the MDT sooo maby some thing changed or my clannies a moron

I don't know. I have friends who have gotten to Giran with theirs. Some that have taken theirs to VoS, so on.

I can't get mine to stay with me in beast farm. They run off after no time at all. And yes I carry plenty of spice. The beats just dont seem to like me :(

It seems totaly random, and has seemed this way to me even on PTS. I can't figure them out