You feta believe it! Cheese, the campus corgi that makes USF students feel gouda, has unfortunately moved his paws from Inner Richmond to Monterey Heights. With 1,345 Instagram followers keeping up on Cheese’s visits to USF, he has become a campus celebrity. His move has us feeling blue, and he couldn’t brie ours forever, so the Foghorn has decided to commemorate him and his USF alumni owner Anderson Tsang, ‘14, with an exclusive interview. It’s cheddar late than never.
Tell me about the time you got Cheese.
AT: I got Cheese back in September of 2020, during COVID […] I noticed that a lot of corgis that I follow [on Instagram] were from the same breeder so […] I reached out to this breeder and I asked if it was possible for me to get a corgi. She said that it was going to be a year and a half waitlist, so I was like okay, well, if COVID and lockdown are still a thing in a year and a half then I’ll do it. Two weeks later, she gave me a call and said that one of the buyers had decided to back out, and so she said if you’re ready in two weeks to get Cheese, you can come down here to San Diego and pick him up. […] I decided to get all of his stuff, read a couple books, watch a ton of YouTube videos on how to train a dog because Cheese is my first dog, and from then on we drove down to San Diego and we got Cheese.
How did Cheese get his name?
AT: The origin of his name actually stems from back when I was here at USF. […] I was part of a fraternity called Chi Upsilon Zeta […] When I was in the fraternity, the brothers would call me “Cheeseburger” or “Cheese” for short. Not many people call me that now, so I passed that name down to this guy.
What inspired your move across the city?
AT: I had been saving for quite a while, I’ve been fortunate enough to live right down the block [from USF] for the past 13 years. […] The apartment that I was staying at was fortunately owned by my parents […] So, I’ve been able to save money. Getting a house and specifically getting a backyard for this guy was the main goal. So, COVID hit and it was just the right time, interest rates were really low, the housing market was at an all time low, so along with getting Cheese, I also decided to start looking into houses.
Can you share a bit about Cheese’s personality and how it has evolved over time in San Francisco?
AT: Cheese is pretty much a city dog. I was very worried about how he would acclimate himself to city life with all the noises, construction […] But, he’s always been great. He’s a very social dog, very friendly. When I first got him, I was a little worried about socializing because at the time , we weren’t allowed to see many other people and people in my circle didn’t have dogs, so I was worried about him getting along with other people as well as other dogs, but he seems to have adapted very well.
How did Cheese first become a recognizable figure on campus?
AT: Back when I first got Cheese, and maybe for the first year or so, when students were back [from lockdown], I’ll be honest, I dreaded walking Cheese on campus. I was like, okay, I really don’t want this attention, I’ll just let him do his business and leave. Slowly but surely, more people started saying hi to him, asking what his name is, asking details about him. […] [Students] began asking if I have an Instagram for him. That’s when I kind of had a change of heart. I was like, okay, well, Cheese loves coming up [to USF], let’s just take him here. We slowly started making doggy friends as well, which was perfect [to meet] [on Welch Field] because we got a lot of space to run. He was the start of not only the student community here, but the dog community as well.
What makes you choose to bring Cheese to USF rather than Golden Gate Park or other dog parks in the city?
AT: He will always tug to come up here. He’s always reluctant to go to Golden Gate Park, even though there’s a bunch and smells and stuff there. This is just his favorite spot.
How has Cheese amassed such a large following on Instagram?
AT: I’m not really sure. It’s the same way with the popularity with the students on campus, it’s all really organic. I didn’t really push for any of this to happen […] I finally decided to post on Instagram about two and a half months ago, and I told myself I would post for 100 consecutive days, just to see what I could garnish and what kind of audience would follow me […] It seems like it’s doing alright so far. I was surprised that we had one video go kind of on the more popular side, with the one where he’s trying to chase a greyhound.
Have there been any memorable or heartwarming stories from students about how Cheese has impacted them?
AT: I definitely remember multiple students coming up during finals week or midterms, and they’re like “Oh my god, Cheese is my good luck charm,” or like “I just finished a test and this just made my day.” […] I’ve probably heard over 100 times now that Cheese should be the school mascot, and I just find that really funny.
What are some challenges you’ve faced as the owner of a well-known dog, and how have you handled them?
AT: I think that’s a matter of perception. I didn’t really like walking Cheese on campus before, just because he was drawing so much attention, and I’m not a huge extrovert […] Adapting to Cheese’s popularity is something that has changed [for me] over the past few years. I’ve gone from being like “Darn, there’s students wanting to say hi [to Cheese]” to “Go Cheese, go say hi” […] Part of that was just kind of understanding that Cheese being able to interact with other students makes him happy, as well as the other students, and I’ve started viewing that as a win-win for everybody.
Are there any upcoming plans or events Cheese will be part of that students can look forward to?
AT: I have been reached out to by a couple clubs, but I haven’t set anything in stone yet. But, I do look forward to doing more interactions with Cheese and other clubs. We’ve already done one with Kasamahan, where they had a picnic [on Welch Field].
Do you envision Cheese’s presence inspiring more animal-friendly initiatives at the university?
AT: I hope so. It seems that, at least with the dog community that has surrounded Cheese, everybody seems more excited to come on campus and bring their dogs here […] I would love to see more animal initiatives pop up. I know a lot of students have called Cheese their “therapy dog,” so it’s always great to just bring Cheese around and make students happy.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
