Optimus Gear

Lets talk about the obvious reason you are smart enough to be here reading reviews.

Stop and think about you and your family securely strapped into your vehicle when the unthinkable happens and you are struck at speed on a highway for what ever reason. You guys belted in are safe as its going to get but Spot is not hence air born and two things happen.

Spot is a spot on the highway as she/ he was ejected or one of you has Spot as a new part of your body. The instant a movable object hits an immovable object 20 to 100 lbs of ricocheting dog is flying around in that vehicle unrestrained behind you and your kids.

I come from years of wilderness back country trekking so I know kit. I had some years militia training so I know kit. Over 30 years in law enforcement including search and rescue, tactical emergency response team working with K9s and countless investigations of highway fatalities as a uniform officer. I retired from a Regional Intelligence Unit where one of my assignments was predicting highway fatalities which I could do. I was in the death business so I can talk about it.

You guys are seated and strapped, your center of gravity is lower and your car is designed to keep a human in it not a dog. A dog is up higher so the center of gravity is higher where all the window glass is. I guarantee you in a roll over Spot is air born and out of the car if you are lucky, not something I would feel particularly lucky about nor I expect would you.

Also understand most seat belt safety systems involve explosives, tiny ones. Enough such that when your 80 kph vehicle meets a stationary tractor trailer bumper there is an explosive detonation within the seat belt you can't see. This causes an immediate retraction of your belt so you remain within the designated safety zone of your vehicles air bags and compression features.

Spot does not have that. I have been to too many roll overs, end for end, side by side or simply vehicles cut in half in a collision and seat belts/ air bags work.

I went looking for a seat belt system for my service dog and after reviewing several I was ecstatic to find Canadians make these and I am not left to the mercy of some Asian Amazon knock off. In life we get what we pay for. Quality costs money. I don't know about most dogs but a service dog is known to cost 20 to 30 grand. If you are in here looking for a system for your service animal or just your fuzzy friend for life what does a vet bill cost on a good day let alone one where you are racing to an emergency room for your pancaked dog? Friend that is a very long ride, take my word for it, if you can even get Spot there in time.

I will guarantee you another thing, this Crash Safe Dog belt is pretty cheap then compared to what that vet bill will be. Or worse the heart break of failing a friend who relies on you for everything. I particularly like how easy the seat belt system set up was to install. The detail and instructions are clear enough the dog can do it alone. For a service dog handler that seat tether system connection that connects my lead to her vest is perfect. She is secure in the vehicle and she is secure getting out of the vehicle as she is under control at all times; bad things happen very fast even on the shoulder of a highway. You are a magnet to distracted drivers so secure the dog.

Lots of harness colours to pick and the custom engraving was handy as velcro patches wear out or get lost. Lastly this is a Canadian family business that actually gives a darn about you and your animal. I actually read the pages of awesome reviews and I concur. The customer service was exemplary, the dialogue was very helpful and I can say I was treated very well.

$400 bucks is cheap insurance for my $20,000 dog and counting. A dog I could never replace nor could I face myself in the mirror knowing she was not there as I was too cheap to buckle her up.

Rest assured I have plenty of sleepless nights but none of those nights will ever be as a result of my dog not being right beside me as I was not willing to keep her as safe as I can make her. Driving on the high speed highways now is like something right out of the 1975 Norman Jewison movie Rollerball. Without the right kit its not if bad things will happen, its when.

If you really want to save money buy this harness. When your animal looks at you with love and admiration you have truly earned it.

Cannot say too many nice things. The harness itself is very well made. My dog is right between the smallest size and the next larger, and I purchased the small one...alas it was too small. Returned it and was contacted by one of the great people (A__ you know who you are) who helped me measure my dog to make sure we got the right size. You really cannot get better service or a better product. If you love your canine companion don't be tempted by the cheap stuff on Amazon!

The pink vest is our second purchase. The color rocks, btw!
The Defender Harness is the only equipment that protects and helps literally center and stabilize our dog in the car. This has helped a lot with her motion sickness as well.
We appreciate the stellar customer service, the intelligence and the thoughtfulness that went into creating the harness kits. We hope more people become aware of and invest in your life-saving products.

Great product, the harness and the holders firmly protect our GSD in the ford EcosSport. Fast delivery despite being in a different continent and really appreciated that the harness has been produced on our GSD size / specification. Highly recommended.

This harness is indeed quite impressive. Moreover, Andrew was a delight to collaborate with, and he thoughtfully answered all of our questions. Following the installation, we reached out to Andrew because the fit seemed different from what was demonstrated in the videos. Andrew graciously assisted us through a few steps. It was discovered that the problem stemmed from our seat cover, as we had a hard-bottom one. After changing the seat cover, everything functioned flawlessly. I am confident that my dog is safe and secure. After all, he is not merely a pet to me. He is my service dog.