What breed of dog is Snowy based on in "The Adventures of Tintin" by Hergé?

Snowy is a fictional character in the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé "The Adventures of Tintin". Snowy is a white Wire Fox Terrier who is a companion to Tintin, the series' protagonist. Snowy is modelled on the Fox Terrier who was at a café that Hergé used to frequent.

Snowy debuted on 10 January 1929 in the first instalment of "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets", which was serialised in Le Petit Vingtième until May 1930.

The Wire Fox Terrier (also known as Wire Hair Fox Terrier or Wirehaired Terrier) is a breed of dog, one of many terrier breeds. Terrier (from Latin terra, meaning "earth" or "soil") is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. The wire fox terrier was developed in England by fox hunting enthusiasts.

Milou, Snowy's original French name, was the nickname of Hergé's first girlfriend Marie-Louise Van Cutsem. In the first 8 Tintin adventures, Snowy regularly addresses his internal monologue to the reader. Hergé diminished Snowy's speaking role after the introduction of Captain Haddock in the 9th story, "The Crab with the Golden Claws".

Snowy is portrayed as brave and is often fearless against much larger creatures when Tintin is threatened. He repeatedly frees Tintin from captivity and saves him from dangerous situations, and will sometimes identify a villain before Tintin. His only fear is arachnophobia.