'Very low' fine condemned after dog starved and beaten

But the penalties being dished out to offenders are not matching the community's expectations, advocates say.

David Duthie, 66, pleaded guilty at Bega Local Court on the NSW far south coast in March to aggravated cruelty and failing to provide sufficient food for an animal after his bull mastiff Brutus was found malnourished and beaten to death on his property.

Duthie told an inspector from the Animal Welfare League (AWL) his dog had died of cancer after it had presented to the vet severely emaciated, court documents say.

After Brutus' body was exhumed and a post-mortem was performed, a vet discovered the dog had multiple blows to the head and died from either blood loss or brain injury, the facts said.

Despite the graphic nature of the offences, Duthie was only given a total fine of $4000 and a ban on owning an animal for 10 years.

State Animal Justice MP Emma Hurst said the penalty given to Duthie was pathetic and the standard of punishment was doing nothing to deter animal abuse.

"This individual could get another animal in 10 years, without any kind of requirement to have ... shown that they have the ability to provide care now for an animal," Ms Hurst told AAP.

"A $4000 fine is a very low fine for the amount of suffering that that particular animal must have undergone, being beaten to death."

The AWL received a substantial increase in government funding in the last year for inspectorate services, allowing them to respond to 4564 complaints this financial year, up nearly 50 per cent on the previous 12 months.

The RSPCA, which also enforces animal welfare laws in most states and territories, published statistics showing completed prosecutions across the country rose to a four-year high in the last financial year.

The NSW government is working on amendments to the state laws used to prosecute those who abuse animals, with proposed changes set to be revealed in coming weeks.