Pomeranians are quite comforting when sailing the rough waters of them North Sea.

I would imagine warmth, companionship, war or draft purposes as well. Pure conjecture on my part but this is Reddit so… :)

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Why are we assuming that these animals are pets? Pigs sound like food, and horses can't really be pets. Dogs could of course be pets, but they could’ve been working animals.

Good point.

I'll add, however, that a Norwegian law book dating from the 12th century demands a higher fine for killing a "lap dog" than for killing a "hunting dog." This could, perhaps, be seen as a possible indication that at least not long after the end of the Viking Era itself, old-timey Scandinavians put a premium on "unemployed" dogs, i.e. pets.

>“Mixed in with the remains of an adult and a younger person were bones from a horse, a dog, and what was likely a pig.”

Gotta wonder if the younger person had died at the same time as the adult, or if they were sacrificed along with the horse, dog and pig.