The Adventures of Tintin following the adventures of a strong protagonist. Tintin's iconic representation enhances this aspect, with Scott McCloud noting that it "allows readers to mask themselves in a character and safely enter a sensually stimulating world." Snowy ("Milou" in Hergé's original version), a white Wire Fox Terrier dog, is Tintin's loyal, four-legged companion. The bond between Snowy and Tintin is very deep, as they have saved each other from perilous situations many times. Snowy frequently "speaks" to the reader through his thoughts (often displaying a dry sense of humour), which are not heard by the human characters in the story. Snowy has
Tenterfield Terrier European settlers who sailed from Portsmouth in England's South. These dogs were vermin killers, and so the smallest of them were selected to play that role on ships, which is how they arrived in Australia. Large dogs may would not have fared as well in the cramped shipboard environment, where vermin find nooks and crannies. Thus small terriers had an advantage. Miniature individuals of the Fox Terrier breed suited the role, as their original breeding matched the new task closely. By the late 19th century a dog type known as the Miniature Fox Terrier (known colloquially as "Mini Foxies") was