Meiken Cheese, also known as Cheese the Wise Dog or Cheese the Super Watchdog, is a light brown dog characterized by short rabbit-shaped ears and a dark brown tail tip; his ears appeared darker in early manga and picture books. He resides in a loaf-shaped doghouse at Uncle Jam's bakery. Anpanman established their lifelong bond by rescuing him as a starving puppy during his first forest patrol. Batako subsequently named him "Cheese" at the bakery. His species remains officially unidentified, though initial designs resembled a Basset Hound.

Cheese exhibits high intelligence, understanding human language and performing tasks comparably to other characters despite communicating primarily through barks. Early manga iterations featured him speaking in sentences followed by "woof," while the anime transitioned to bark-based communication understood by others through mutual familiarity and his status as a "wise dog." He assists with bakery chores, though he occasionally displays laziness in avoiding duties. His personality blends over-the-top silliness as comic relief with genuine bravery, often charging into danger to aid Anpanman. He possesses a large appetite, consuming food ravenously.

His abilities center on an exceptional sense of smell for tracking individuals across locations. Cheese frequently drives the Anpanman-Go vehicle and serves as the primary SOS signal spotter. He maintains a close friendship with Butterko and has a romantic interest named Rare Cheese. Historically moving on four legs, he gradually adopted bipedal locomotion while retaining canine sitting and sleeping postures. His role includes carrying or throwing Anpanman's replacement heads during missions.

Cheese appears in the film "Sore Ike! Anpanman: Bokura wa Hero" alongside other central characters. His background, traits, and relationships remain consistent across the broader series' episodes and media.