The Safest Way to Travel With Your Dog
The Safest Way to Travel With Your Dog
Crash-tested to the same standards as child car seats.
The Safest Way to Travel With Your Dog
Short Review: Best harness system after buying many. Well made without being too rigid like other systems. If you’re considering, purchase it.
Long review: We purchased the defender with the leash converter. We had a “luggage” handle sewn in at the time of ordering. The staff was very helpful and triple checked to ensure everything was in the proper position.
After using the Defender Harness for a number of months and many many summer miles I can speak to it’s quality. It is made very well. I’ve purchased other crash tested harness seat belt systems that are very rigid and uncomfortable to the touch that our dog will not walk with. My dog finds the harness more comfortable walks without issues or trying to rub it off. Our dog would take food from our child in the back seat, the lower attachment points have put an end to this. The two attachment points allows the leash to be hooked up prior to the dog being completely disconnected.
The quality of the harness speaks for itself. Even the thread used to sew is of heavier thickness. Cannot say enough good things about this product. This harness will last for this and likely other dogs lives. Thank you for making such a great product.
I am so happy that I bought the seat cover. It is sturdy, looks good, and is fairly straightforward to install. Andrew came and personally installed it in my vehicle and talked to me about care and maintenance. There is room for the seatbelts to be attached and the cover can also fold down to allow for the middle drink cupholders to be down. Excellent quality and craftsmanship. Five out of five stars.
First, it was an absolute pleasure dealing with Andrew. He made the process simple and customized, and easy to understand. He was very concerned that we got the fit right and that my dog was perfectly situated in the backseat.
The harness itself is excellent. We always use it when we’re taking our dog in the car, but we use it also just on walks because it is such an easy harness to get on and off. We’ve already gotten a number of compliments on the vest and how the mechanisms/clips work. We are 100% satisfied and relieved to know our dog is getting the best safety protection out there. I would highly recommend this product to anyone. And the wonderful customer service you get is just the icing on the cake.
We are absolutely thrilled with our Optimus gear harness and accessories. The product is excellent and very easy to use. Andrew came out and personally fit the harness and seat cover so I could see how to do it myself. This is an excellent company with excellent customer service. If you’re thinking about getting a defender system, don’t hesitate!
Bought rear and passenger side seat covers to protect seats from my dog's paws. I installed both in my 2025 Jeep Wrangler. The fit is great and they install in minutes. I contacted Andrew through the chat on the Optimus web site on a weekend. He checked if the size would fit my vehicule while on the chat with me. Out of bounds customer service, highly recommend this product, and it's Canadian! Oh, my dog Mr. Floyd loves them.
Excellent company with customer service that goes above and beyond. I had a few questions and my emails were always answered immediately with excellent information. Andrew is top notch!
We love the harness. We had the puppy size and recently graduated to a larger size for our golden retriever. It keeps him safe, is easy to use, and we love the blue color on him. Would highly recommend this company and the harness.
Great fit on 2025 Jeep Wrangler. Protects the seat from my dogs paws.
Amazing product, amazing team! I cannot recommend them highly enough!
We purchased a harness for each of our two dogs - both travel very differently in the car. For each, the harnesses allow them to sit comfortably and easily sit up or lie down (in their own special ways!)They are so well designed. Both dogs are secured safely and sensibly. It makes complete sense that they also get to benefit from the locking mechanism on the shoulder straps of the seatbelts when brakes are applied. So much better than having the dog on the end of a fixed tether which is the usual style of a dog seatbelt!
Cant finish this review without commenting on the quality of the harnesses and the hardware used - in a word, phenomenal. And finally, the personalized customer service was great (spoke to the team to customize our measurements free of charge) and quick delivery.
Great product, sturdy attachment and sewing specially for a pulling GSD as mine. The orange color is perfect for avoiding loosing in the grass (happened with the camo version)
Bought this about 8 months ago and I absolutely love it. Keeps my dog super secure in the car, I can tell she feels comfortable back there when she’s wearing it. The vest is also very comfortable and easy to take on/off, I use it for all her walks. Also, customer service was extremely helpful and patient with me throughout the ordering process. Can’t recommend more!
Perfect accessory for the harness. I’d recommend ordering the defender plus package that includes the adapter. It's way less expensive( with shipping cost) than purchasing it down the road, so to speak.
Excellent product, very well designed and constructed. The harness and hardware is extremely heavy duty, I’d compare it to mountaineering gear we use. Our rescue girl is priceless, so the price was a bargain.
I normally don't write reviews, but this is an exception. Everything about this harness's design and construction is flawless. It's obvious how much careful thought has gone into finding the perfect balance between the three basic issues: Ease of connecting the harness to the seat (with our squirmy, post-surgery, 80-pound teenaged German shepherd) while allowing enough freedom of movement so he can sit, lie down, and move his body comfortably, while still restraining him enough to keep him safe. Although he is able to easily lie down, sit, or turn enough to enjoy the window's breeze, during our first ride I realized he was no longer bumping forward and backward when the car braked hard, and I could see how much more comfortable he was than with the previous harness we had used. The use of the seatbelt's shoulder strap so that it functions in the same way it does for humans - allowing movement unless there is a sudden stop, in which case it locks - is such a brilliantly simple idea, it's hard to believe other harnesses don't take advantage of this. But they don't, and I did a ton of research before settling on this. And lastly, the harness itself is extremely comfortable for him, very quick and easy to put on – definitely an issue for our impatient youngster - and has the same thoughtful design. A sturdy 6-inch strap with a leash clip on one end and the clip that connects to the seatbelt connector on the other makes switching from leash to car extremely simple. As well, the connection to the harness swivels side to side as well as up and back – again an oh-so logical idea but one I don’t see in other dog equipment, reducing leash tangles and allowing more freedom of movement for the dog. All the clips are large, easy to quickly grasp and open/close (crucial for arthritic hands like my own), and heavy duty – they will easily outlive both the dog and myself! One more aspect I enjoyed is that, again due to the well-thought-out design, there is plenty of room for me to sit in the backseat with him.
I Originally bought a small as we had a new puppy. I did not see the upgrade option on the website.
8 months later and our dog is a little larger and heavier than we anticipated. I called Crash Safe and they could not have been more accommodating. They upgraded me to a medium and I just paid the difference for the upgrade option. I will definitely buy the harness system again with our next dog!
Designed to control movement before and during impact.
Harness, upper tether, and lower tether, work together to stabilize your dog and manage force in a collision.
This isn’t a single attachment point.
It’s a coordinated safety system.
If you are ever in a crash, we replace your system.
No cost. No hassle.
Attach the Lower Tether first to keep your dog stable in the seat, then connect the Upper Tether to the seatbelt to engage in the event of a crash.
Every Defender System is sewn, machined, and assembled in our Winnipeg shop, from rolls of fabric and sheets of aluminum to a finished safety system. We don’t outsource your dog’s protection.
We build it ourselves.
Full review below.
"I would never drive without securing my service dog.
30 years law enforcement. In a collision an unrestrained dog becomes a projectile. This is cheap insurance."
-Garry, Retired Officer and Service Dog Handler
A complete safety system built to stay in use, not get replaced.
Tested to the same standards as child car seats.
Patented Optimus Buckles with strength matched to your dog's weight.
on orders $100+
Proudly manufactured locally in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
"Our 80 lb German Shepherd can sit, lie down, and move comfortably, but no longer lurches forward when we brake. The shoulder belt locking feature is brilliant."
- Susy, Verified Buyer
Full review below.
★★★★★Andrew and Gordon went above and beyond for my girl, Freya's, car seat harness. Freya has a unique body shape being very long with such a deep chest, and they made her a custom crash safe defender harness and a longer car seat tether. Freya comes to work with me everyday and spend over an hour and a half in the car with majority of that being highway driving. It gives me SUCH peace of mind knowing that she is secure and as safe as she can be, if an accident were to ever occur. We couldn't be happier!
Kirsten Booth
★★★★★Andrew and his team are always kind and helpful. They genuinely care about your dog’s safety. They sized my dog for a harness and when it wasn’t quite right, they had us come into the shop to have the harness custom tailored for our boy, at no charge! Can not recommend enough!
Roxanne
★★★★★We recently purchased the Optimus Gear Crash Safe Defender harness kit for our 65lb Heinz 57 Porch dog :) The business owner was extremely responsive & helpful in selecting the appropriate item & size for our pet & our special request for a rush was met well in advance of the date requested with the harness arriving in record time! The harness is constructed of premium materials & is extremely well constructed. The harness & service exceeded our expectations! We would absolutely recommend this harness & business if you’re looking for a superior quality product & excellent customer experience 🦮💖
Right On Sister
★★★★★5+++ stars! I am so happy my friend lead me to this car safety system for my dog. I have tried many over the years and nothing compares to this product. My dog is super secure, she can’t accidentally disconnect herself. She’s secured at two points of contact, can sit and lay down. The harness goes on with ease and the hardware used is solid. I am very happy and the system has given me much peace of mind.
I liked the harness so much I also bought the car seat cover. I am very happy with the quality of the cover, it stays put, it was easy to get on and it compliments to car safety harness system very well.
The service is also EXCELLENT! Andrew went above and beyond for me & my baby floof. They clearly care about their product, their customers and the pets!
I recommend this car safety system to anyone who takes there dog in the car.
Jodie Wilkinson
★★★★★I feel safe with this dog seatbelt. All products are great quality. Fits really well on the dog. Service is 100%, able to teach me how to fit the harness and the car piece. I suggest this product and this team.
Gordon Chan
★★★★★The OG Bench cover is nothing but the best. The quality and durability of the material is excellent. It was extremely easy to install. Our dog Arie hopped right onto it no problem. Now we don't have to worry about all the junk getting our seat, no punctures or any other worries. Double bonus as a protector for our girl's booster seat! The flaps make it easy to buckle. And when we want to remove it, it's so easy to undo. Thank you!!
Chris Russell
Recommended by Canine Health Canada
Short Review: Best harness system after buying many. Well made without being too rigid like other systems. If you’re considering, purchase it.
Long review: We purchased the defender with the leash converter. We had a “luggage” handle sewn in at the time of ordering. The staff was very helpful and triple checked to ensure everything was in the proper position.
After using the Defender Harness for a number of months and many many summer miles I can speak to it’s quality. It is made very well. I’ve purchased other crash tested harness seat belt systems that are very rigid and uncomfortable to the touch that our dog will not walk with. My dog finds the harness more comfortable walks without issues or trying to rub it off. Our dog would take food from our child in the back seat, the lower attachment points have put an end to this. The two attachment points allows the leash to be hooked up prior to the dog being completely disconnected.
The quality of the harness speaks for itself. Even the thread used to sew is of heavier thickness. Cannot say enough good things about this product. This harness will last for this and likely other dogs lives. Thank you for making such a great product.
We are absolutely thrilled with our Optimus gear harness and accessories. The product is excellent and very easy to use. Andrew came out and personally fit the harness and seat cover so I could see how to do it myself. This is an excellent company with excellent customer service. If you’re thinking about getting a defender system, don’t hesitate!
We purchased a harness for each of our two dogs - both travel very differently in the car. For each, the harnesses allow them to sit comfortably and easily sit up or lie down (in their own special ways!)They are so well designed. Both dogs are secured safely and sensibly. It makes complete sense that they also get to benefit from the locking mechanism on the shoulder straps of the seatbelts when brakes are applied. So much better than having the dog on the end of a fixed tether which is the usual style of a dog seatbelt!
Cant finish this review without commenting on the quality of the harnesses and the hardware used - in a word, phenomenal. And finally, the personalized customer service was great (spoke to the team to customize our measurements free of charge) and quick delivery.
Bought this about 8 months ago and I absolutely love it. Keeps my dog super secure in the car, I can tell she feels comfortable back there when she’s wearing it. The vest is also very comfortable and easy to take on/off, I use it for all her walks. Also, customer service was extremely helpful and patient with me throughout the ordering process. Can’t recommend more!
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