Replacing an Animal Ally

[Curghann]

For a character that gains an AC via Animal Ally, is it as simple to replace the AC if it dies as it is for a druid, simply spending 24 hours in meditation?

Relatedly, when you get a new AC do they show up with all of the tricks you want them to have or is there some kind of expectation of needing to spend time training them?

Answers preferably backed up with quotes if possible.

[Oddman80]

while feats are considered to be inherently possessed by the AC, the only tricks that a druid does NOT need to teach their AC are the ones the AC gains via bonus tricks ability.

Quote:

Bonus Tricks

The value given in this column is the total number of “bonus” tricks that the animal knows in addition to any that the druid might choose to teach it (see the Handle Animal skill). These bonus tricks don’t require any training time or Handle Animal checks, and they don’t count against the normal limit of tricks known by the animal. The druid selects these bonus tricks, and once selected, they can’t be changed.

i also believe that since the Animal Ally feat does not say "You gain an animal companion. This animal companion progresses as if it were bonded to a druid 3 levels power than your character level."

but rather, the feat says "You gain an animal companion as if you were a druid of your character level –3"

since you gain an animal companion as if you were a druid, you follow all of the rules for animal companions that a druid would upon gaining one. that includes the rules for what happens when you dismiss one or want to replace a fallen companion.