Britain’s smallest puppy: Tiny Tim the terrier is as tall as a tin of beans

The best things come in small packages.

Meet Tim the Yorkshire terrier, who stands no taller than a tin of beans and is believed to be Britain’s smallest puppy.

But his owner is just happy to have him around at all, as the little dog wasn’t breathing when he was born seven weeks ago.

Tim was lifeless when he came into the world from a litter of six, but owner Andrea McGowan, 42, revived him quickly by rubbing him with a towel until he gasped for air.

He weighed just 2.5oz (70g) at birth, but has gone up to 9oz (255g) and now stands the same height as a can of Irn-Bru.

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However, he was too weak to feed from his mother, Dolly, so Andrea had to take over and spent weeks bottle-feeding him every two hours.

Andrea, from Bolton, Lancashire, said: ‘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.’

The mother-of-three said rearing Tim was trickier than her own children because it was hard to know what he needed.

Sadly, one of Tim’s brothers died just a few hours after being born.

‘We did not think Tim was going to make it and we are genuinely surprised he is still here,’ said Andrea.

‘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.’

Tim has become very popular at the family business – a fish n’ chips shop in Bolton – where he is brought every day.

‘The customers love him and want to see him when they come in and they all want to take him home with them,’ said Andrea.

She has learned that Tim may be suffering from chondrodysplasia – or ‘canine dwarfism’ – but a proper diagnosis cannot be carried out until he is 18 months old.

Tim’s brothers and sisters will be be rehomed when they have finished nursing with their mother Dolly, but Tim will be staying with the McGowans.

Andrea said: ‘We are all very attached to him – after nursing him back to health 24 hours a day.

‘We love him to bits – we will just have to see how he goes and keep on fighting to see him grow more and take each day as it comes.’