One Alberta family has given their 725-kilogram pet buffalo an unusual place to roam – their living room.

While most buffalo turn aggressive by the time they are one year old, Bailey was abandoned by his mother and hand-fed from a bottle, giving him a mellow temperament.

He spends most of his time outdoors, but does manage to squeeze through the doors of Jim and Linda Sautner's home.

Jim Sautner and Bailey in the Sautner home.

Jim Sautner jokes that if Bailey does become agitated, he has a secret weapon to calm him down.

"Every time he gets upset, or gets me upset, and causes me to get annoyed, I just whisper in his ear...'buffalo burgers'," Sautner laughed.

The Sautners, who are buffalo ranchers near Spruce Grove, say Bailey has become an important marketing tool in a beef market haunted by fears of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. Spruce Grove is about 20 kilometres west of Edmonton.

"Now that the meat is becoming so much more recognized as a health and well-being item, we felt that Bailey's been a wonderful ambassador and promotional tool," said Sautner.

Bailey, who turns four this year, is still growing. The Sautners say they may convert their garage for his future indoor activities.