Help Pia and Crazy
Become a Service Dog Team
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Pia is 10 years old.
She loves animals, dogs, horses, her friends, her iPad, and learning everything she can about dogs.
Pia also lives with cerebral palsy, which means many everyday tasks require extra support.
A professionally trained service dog will continue to help Pia build more independence, mobility, confidence, and safety in daily life.
Crazy is a one year old Barbet, also known as a French Water Dog. She is calm, friendly, cuddly, and already has a very special connection with Pia.
Our goal is to raise funds to help cover Crazy’s purchase, training, travel to and from her current home here in Germany, accommodations, equipment, veterinary care, certification, and ongoing support.
She loves animals, dogs, horses, her friends, her iPad, and learning everything she can about dogs.
Pia also lives with cerebral palsy, which means many everyday tasks require extra support.
A professionally trained service dog will continue to help Pia build more independence, mobility, confidence, and safety in daily life.
Crazy is a one year old Barbet, also known as a French Water Dog. She is calm, friendly, cuddly, and already has a very special connection with Pia.
Our goal is to raise funds to help cover Crazy’s purchase, training, travel to and from her current home here in Germany, accommodations, equipment, veterinary care, certification, and ongoing support.
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ABOUT PIA
Like many children her age, Pia wants to do more on her own. She wants to move through the world with more confidence, take part in everyday activities, and gain more independence as she grows. Because Pia has cerebral palsy, many simple daily tasks can be difficult or exhausting. Picking up a dropped item, opening a door, reaching something she needs, moving safely, or getting help quickly can require another person. Crazy will help change that. |
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MEET CRAZY
Crazy is a one year old Barbet, a French Water Dog. She is calm, friendly, affectionate, and loves to cuddle. Most importantly, she has the temperament and personality needed to become Pia’s service dog partner. Crazy is being trained to support Pia with daily tasks, mobility, safety, and independence. Together, Pia and Crazy will become a team. |
The Day We Met Crazy
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On Thursday, May 28, 2026, Uli Zander came to our home in Waldhilsbach with three possible service dog candidates. Then there was Crazy. |
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From the beginning, there was something special about Crazy. She approached Pia immediately. She was not afraid of Pia’s wheelchair. She was calm, curious, and comfortable. We did not need to encourage her with treats or coax her closer. She simply wanted to be near Pia. As the visit continued, Crazy became more and more relaxed. By the end of the afternoon, while we sat talking, she had settled comfortably on our living room rug as though she had always belonged there. It felt natural. It felt easy. It felt right. The day was exciting, emotional, overwhelming, and full of hope. Meeting Crazy was the moment when this dream became real. |
How Crazy Will Help Pia
Crazy is being trained to assist Pia in everyday life by retrieving important items, opening doors, helping her navigate safely, providing support during mobility activities, and getting help when needed.
Together, they will become a team that gives Pia greater freedom, confidence, and independence.
🐾 Retrieving important items such as her phone, iPad, and other daily essentials
🐾 Opening doors and helping with everyday tasks around the home
🐾 Supporting Pia during short walking activities using a specialized mobility support harness
🐾 Walking calmly beside Pia's wheelchair and accompanying her at school and in the
community
🐾 Getting help in an emergency and bringing important communication devices when
needed
🐾 Providing greater safety, confidence, and independence in daily life
Crazy will be more than a service dog. She will be Pia's partner, helping her navigate the world with greater freedom and confidence every day.
Together, they will become a team that gives Pia greater freedom, confidence, and independence.
🐾 Retrieving important items such as her phone, iPad, and other daily essentials
🐾 Opening doors and helping with everyday tasks around the home
🐾 Supporting Pia during short walking activities using a specialized mobility support harness
🐾 Walking calmly beside Pia's wheelchair and accompanying her at school and in the
community
🐾 Getting help in an emergency and bringing important communication devices when
needed
🐾 Providing greater safety, confidence, and independence in daily life
Crazy will be more than a service dog. She will be Pia's partner, helping her navigate the world with greater freedom and confidence every day.
Many of you have been part of
Pia's journey before.
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In 2017, our family launched a fundraising campaign to help Pia receive Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) surgery with Dr. T. S. Park in St. Louis.
The support we received from friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, and even people we had never met was incredible. Because of your generosity, Pia was able to undergo the surgery and receive the care she needed. Today, we remain deeply grateful for that support. Looking back, choosing SDR at such a young age was one of the most important decisions we made for Pia. The surgery significantly reduced the spasticity caused by cerebral palsy and has allowed her to move more freely. Years later, she remains largely free from spasticity and continues to make progress in her mobility and walking. Every step she takes today is built on the opportunities that so many people helped create. Now, we are beginning the next chapter of Pia's journey. A service dog will not replace the progress Pia has made. Instead, Crazy will help build on that foundation by providing practical support, greater safety, increased independence, and new opportunities for participation in everyday life. Just as you helped change Pia's future in 2018, we invite you to join us again as Pia and Crazy begin their journey toward becoming a certified service dog team. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for believing in Pia then, and thank you for supporting her now. |
Why we chose Das WZ Hundezentrum
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Finding the right service dog is about much more than choosing a dog. It is about creating the right partnership.
After researching service dog programs and speaking with other families, we chose to work with Uli Zander, Kirstin Zander, and WZ Hundezentrum near Rostock, Germany because of their experience, their personal approach, and their commitment to matching the right dog with the right person. It's been a long time coming, first meeting Uli in 2023. They work closely with the dogs from an early age and understand how important it is for the dog, the child, and the family to be a true fit. For us, it was important to work with trainers who understand both the technical training needed for a service dog and the personal journey of a child like Pia. |
