Self awareness isn't sentience.
Here's a great article explaining why they are sentient beings:
http://www.ciwf.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2009/b/boyle_2009_neuroscience_and_animal_sentience.pdf
I was using sentience as a synonym for self-awareness.
If you wish to argue that dogs are sentient but not self-aware, go ahead. But the whole reason I'm saying you guys shouldn't be saying this guy should be executed is because dogs are not self-aware.
While I understand the perspective, I disagree due to relativity. Contributions made by several species differ and therefore produce different forms of "value." Intellect relating to the knowledge of our existence, though an incredible evolutionary achievement, is not an immediate strength showing superiority. In order for us to be superior, we must outweigh their strengths entirely.
This is the first logical argument you've made.
Unfortunately, it isn't appropriate for this specific situation (where a guy kills two dogs and posts pictures on facebook):
There are already laws that protect animals from being killed that rely on other forms of "value". Endangered animals are protected because without them, vital parts of the food chain would be missing, or we would be without a beautiful species to put in our zoos forever. I fully support severe prosecution for poachers who kill endangered species.
The intellect of humans is directly related to how we live our lives. If you get killed at age 15, you are going to miss out on a lot in life. The reason every single legal system in the world frowns upon murder is because humans choose to mutually agree on not killing eachother so that everyone is relatively safe from being murdered. Dogs do not share these same kinds of experiences.
Edit: Well they don't see themselves. They see another dog.
which is the whole point of the mirror test...