I always use the Real Swampy for the 20% reduction. You have to buy the dragon barding deeds and it will run out of armor every so often, but you can find them cheap now (10k or less) - which is well worth the cost IMO. Paraxy swampy only provides 12% reduction.
Similar to what Obsidian said, if I die, I will typically log ASAP instead of letting my pet die and having to ask for a rez, which doesn't always come easy in the middle of a champ spawn or a tough encounter.