Yeah, Animal Friend definitely sounds neat. Do you know if it affects the nastier critters (Yao Guai, Mirelurk Hunter)?
The downside is that those are a big chunk of the XP you get while wandering aimlessly...
Molerats, Yao Guai, dogs of any type are friendly towards you, everything else still attacks even those nasty deathclaws. I hate deathclaws. They hit hard and do knock back damage.