Animal cruelty...

I read an article recently about a man who took his husky to a cemetery, tied it to a tree and stabbed it to death with a sword. I believe He got charged with one count of animal cruelty. To me this seems unjust. I feel like the punishment should have been greater. I can't say exactly what I would expect but I think he got off pretty easy considering what he did. I am a dog/animal lover though so maybe I am biased.