A northern New Jersey family is dealing with anger and grief after their beloved pet died just hours after going to the groomer.

Jennifer Laddy says that the family’s 5-year-old dog Samson was perfectly healthy before going to Glamour Paws Boutique in Mahwah. His death now leaves a void that cannot be filled.

“Our house just feels empty without him,” she says.

Laddy took Samson to the groomer on Thursday for the first time. She made sure to ask ahead of time if the groomer could handle the 180-pound Newfie. She says that when she went to pick Samson up, she saw him laying down alone. She called to him and he didn't come to her.

“He tried to get up and his back legs just gave out behind him. And I said to the owner, “What’s the matter with my dog?’ ‘Oh, it’s just hot back there and these floors are so slippery,’” Laddy says.

But she says that she wasn’t buying that excuse.

“I got him up a little, but he stood up a little bit and went maybe like a foot or two and then just collapsed,” Laddy says. “I said to the owner, ‘What did you do to my dog?’”

Samson suffered a heat stroke. His organs failed, and hours later he had to be put down.

Dog groomers are not licensed in New Jersey and are largely unregulated around the United States.

“Nobody really has an idea what kind of market this would be when it first started. Dog grooming is an $8 billion industry,” says Rosemary Marchetto.

Marchetto has become an advocate for dog groomer reform ever since losing her dog after a trip to the groomers. Bijou’s Bill, introduced in the state Legislature, is still stuck in the state Senate.

“The lobbyists are there to stall this bill to make sure it doesn’t get passed because by passing this bill it will require oversight,” she says.

The Laddys say that they are now left guessing if maybe blow dryers caused Samson to overheat. They say that they wish something had been done right away that might have saved their beloved pet.

“Why he wouldn’t have immediately alerted us or the police or an ambulance,” says Stephen Laddy.

The family admits that they may never know the full story.

News 12 New Jersey tried to speak to the owner of Glamour Paws Boutique, but no one was available to comment. News 12 was told that a small protest was held outside the business Tuesday morning.

News 12 also reached out to Senate President Steve Sweeny’s office to find out why Bijou’s Bill has stalled, but a spokesperson refused to comment.