Britain's tiniest puppy stands as tall as a tin of beans

Tim the Yorkshire Terrier is thought to be Britain's tiniest puppy after defying the odds since having to be revived at birth.

The seven-week-old puppy, who weighed just 2.5 ounces at birth, stands as tall as a tin of beans and is getting stronger after his owners worried he would not survive due to his tiny size.

He was born lifeless and not breathing and his owner Andrea McGowan, 42, had to revive him by rubbing him with a towel.

Now, the puppy is healthier and getting stronger every day, and there are hopes he could grow to be a healthy dog.

His loving owner has spent weeks bottle-feeding him every two hours so he was strong enough to survive. 

He may be suffering from canine dwarfism, but his family will not be able to get a diagnosis for him until he is a bit older.

Tiny Tim is a big hit at the local business owned by his family - a fish and chip shop in Bolton where his doting owner takes him every day to make sure he is all right.

His owner said: "The customers love him and want to see him when they come in and they all want to take him home with them."

Ms McGowan said of the first few weeks of his life: "That was horrendous because it was so tiring and I was constantly worrying about him getting dehydrated if I missed a feed. 

"And then after the feed I had to wind him then rub his belly to make him poo and wee."

Tim was luckier than one of his brothers in the litter of six, who sadly died shortly after birth.

She said: "We did not think Tim was going to make it and we are genuinely surprised he is still here.

"But he is doing really well at the moment and gains a few grams every day.'

"He is a really feisty little dog and much braver than the others.

"When we take them all out of the pen they are all quite timid but he just wanders around and he loves climbing over things - he also likes climbing into shoes and jumping off tall objects, so you have to watch him."