Snowy is forever linked to Tintin. There have been great heroic pairings over the years with the likes of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson and The Lone Ranger and Tonto. Snowy the white wire fox terrier and four-legged companion of Tintin who is forever at his master’s side are another valiant twosome. The two buddies have saved each other numerous times through out the Tintin albums. The union between them is very strong.

In the earlier episodes Snowy is shown to speak (e.g. Cigars of the Pharaohs p1, frame 4. Interestingly, in this frame, Snowy refers to Marlinspike (but not in the French edition)—a place that he and his master will not know about until much later, in Red Rackham's Treasure) but later on this part of his character is absent although the reader can see him thinking in human words (Herge used the bubble speech technique founded in America).

Herge was attempting to make Snowy more “dog-like”. This obstacle doesn’t however stop Snowy from being able to communicate with Tintin. Snowy character is written in such a way as to interest the reader. Snowy is the only one for instance in Flight 714 to remember being abducted by aliens. Snowy the wire terrier is seen to save Tintin a numerous times over the years (often by gnawing through restraints or seeking help) or has managed to get them out of convoluted conditions by biting or distracting a villain.

Snowy went through a transformation over the years as Herge developed the character with the introduction of Captain Haddock leading to Snowy becoming a more light-hearted character and offering comic relief such as drinking the whisky. Snowy is often seen chasing the cat Marlinspike (although at the end of The Calculus Affair they become friends).

Snowy known as Milou in the original French language format was named after Herge first girlfriend Marie-Louise Van Cutsem (“Malou”), although Snowy is very much a male dog in the albums.