Pets were as important to the Norse of the Viking Age (c. 790-1100 CE) as they were to any other culture, past or present. The Vikings kept dogs and cats as pets and both feature in Norse religious iconography and literature. The Norse also kept pet bears and birds, such as the falcon, hawk, and the peacock.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1313/norse-pets-in-the-viking-age/.