Dogs make the best companions in life but unfortunately, no matter how well you treat them or how much you spoil them, they don't live as long as we do. They can, however, live for a rather long time, like Chico, a Chihuahua from San Diego, who's blessed his owner's life for 17 years.

In a video shared on TikTok earlier in August by the dog owner's wife, under the username Yoshi_the_mighty_beardie, Chico can be seen snuggling with his owner as the poster goes on to explain that this is the dog her husband has had since he was a child.

The heartwarming clip comes with a caption that says: "My husband's dog he's had since he was 8... He's 25." Clarifying in the comments section, she wrote: "My husband is 25, not the dog."

While we would all love our dogs to live forever, their average lifespan is usually about 10 to 13 years, even though it changes depending on specific sizes and breeds, with some living a few years more and some a few years less.

According to the American Kennel Club, smaller dog breeds, like Chihuahuas and Yorkshire terriers among others, tend to live longer than bigger-sized dogs, with their average lifespan ranging from 10 to 15 years, with some even reaching 18 years of age.

The average lifespan of medium-sized dogs, like French bulldogs and Australian shepherd dogs, is around 10 to 13 years, with some reaching up to 15 years. For large-sized dogs, like German shepherds and golden retrievers, life is significantly shorter with an average lifespan of about 8 to 12 years, though there are a few exceptions like Belgian Malinois, living up to 16 years.

The video quickly went viral on social media, attracting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 2.9 million views and 281,700 likes on the platform.

One user, Allison, commented: "Ran to the comments to see how to keep a dog alive to 25. I'm sad now." User laughsalot15 said: "My Yorkie is 21 and in good shape thank God. Blessings!" Esme Rivera wrote: "Dogs that get to grow up with you hit [differently] when they pass! he's so cute."

Another user, Sarah, said: "Props to him for taking such good care of his dog and facilitating a long lifespan." User BunBunChuu added: "My Chihuahua lasted 18 years before we had to put her down. please cherish that baby as much as you can."

Newsweek reached out to Yoshi_the_mighty_beardie for comment via TikTok chat. We could not verify the details of the case.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.