Maybe when pet hotkeys come out this will be better. I imagine instances when you would want to leave combat and have the pet keep attacking.
@MrDDT Yup, but I understand the frustration of run, key press, click, while trying to fight when you have seconds to react.. =D Just like trying to forage and having something attack from behind. You have to cancel action, run, turn, mouse select, click attack, hotkey combat, then you can fight.