"I launched my company the year after I arrived in Canada. Now, tariffs threaten my business.”

When I started selling dog toys from my basement, I had to remortgage my house and take out a loan to make it work.

- Smriti Pratishruti

IN 2014, A YEAR INTO OUR MARRIAGE, my husband, Karthick, suggested we get a dog. I wasn’t sure; it felt like a huge responsibility, especially since we were both working full-time in Bengaluru, India: me in HR and him in IT. He convinced me to go see some puppies—and we came home with Princess, a golden retriever. We had to figure everything out: what foods were safe, how to keep her occupied, how to get her to stop nipping and barking. It was overwhelming but, over time, Princess taught me patience and unconditional love. The bond we shared was unlike anything I’d experienced.

In 2017, Karthick accepted a more lucrative job in Illinois, so we moved with Princess to the U.S. However, as the spouse of a work visa holder, I wasn’t allowed to get a job. The loss of independence was suffocating, and soon we searched for other options. Canada’s Express Entry program offered me the right to work again while Karthick secured a company transfer to a Canadian office. In March of 2018, we loaded up our car and made the eighthour drive to start over yet again.