You know, I watch Animal Cops all the time on Animal Planet. The things people are capable of doing to defenseless animals are shocking. Equally shocking are the lenient penalties imposed on the horrible people who mistreat animals. I have NEVER seen the penalty fit the crime. Rarely do people do jail time (in fact, I don't think I have ever seen jail time imposed)--there is usually just some probation and perhaps the person is banned from having pets for a while.
Very often the animal cruelty officer is satisfied taking the animal away from the monster who abused the animal. The sad thing is, for every animal they save, there are perhaps 50 people who get away with these crimes against animals.
This is why I donate money to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Check it out at hsus.org. They are very involved in lobbying and changing the laws to better protect animals.