NOBODY calls Patch by his real name anymore.

With a large spot of dark brown hair over his left ear, and another dark patch on his top lip, Patch is a real life canine doppelganger of Adolf Hitler.

At only seven weeks old the adorable pup is more used to being called by the name of his lookalike, and these days he’s more likely to answer to “Adolf” or “Hitler” than his own name.

The tiny puppy, a cross between French bulldog and a shih tzu, lives with his two brothers with Lynda Whitehead in York.

Ms Whitehead said: “He’s my grandson’s dog, and none of us noticed the likeness until we put a photo on Facebook. When my eldest daughter saw it she said ‘You’ve got a little Hitler there’.

“Although he’s called Patch, everybody calls him Adolf now. My grandsons are the worst for doing the goosestep when the puppy’s around.”

Patch’s mother, Betty, a French bulldog, and father Teddy, a shih tzu, both belong to Lynda’s daughter Clare, and Patch now belongs to Clare’s 17-year-old son, Dan.

The three puppies in the litter are being reared at Ms Whitehead's home until they reach 12 weeks old after Betty rejected her pups.

Despite his likeness, Patch is a gentle soul.

Ms Whitehead said: “He is a lovely little thing. All of them are, but he is the gentlest of them all. He will sit on your lap and just look at you, until he falls asleep. One of his brothers should be Hitler, he has the attitude. He’s the runt of the litter so he’s had to fight a bit more."