Tbf, I never had room in my party for grabbers before. I was thinking of giving someone a bear this time now that the devs game them Grabber, but their practical use disappointed me (grab being tied to their second attack). A dev said that smilodons will be fixed in the next patch so I guess it's an interesting option because of pounce. Other than that, dogs definitely became a superior pet overall after the patch and in case you really need to shut down a spellcaster, you can always carry a couple of shambling mound scrolls in your inventory (which is what I will probably do).