Current Events > Team Fortress 2 player sold his irl dog as part of a trade. Your opinion?

(+) Yeah! (+)

The tweet is missing important context, the seller has been facing struggles and responsibilities in life, so he's been having trouble caring for the dog. The buyer is a close irl friend who is familiar with the dog already and has cared for it before.'
https://twitter.com/AlcantaraJohndy/status/1757365197168349442?t=OeDRJ8-ngV2zcAmBAhQC7Q&s=19

I don't like this

If the original owner was literally willing to trade his own dog like currency, then I can only hope the new owner treats the dog more humanely. Which I assume they will, since it seems like they accepted the dog in place of actual currency.

He loved the dog so much so he did what was best for the dog.

I don't either, but hopefully the dog is now in a home where it will be actually loved.

I mean, if he can't take care of the dog, it's better than the alternative.

You do realize that what is best for the dog being "Get the dog away from me" is not an endorsement for the original owner, right? It's the bare fucking minimum.

Yes, it is what is best for the dog... By virtue of the owner being that bad.

Did you actually read the situation? The original owner had personal obligations that prevented him from giving the dog the time and attention it needed.

Recent Activity
49.8 hours past 2 weeks

"Personal obligations" that apparently did not interrupt his Team Fortress 2 playing,

So, apparently people ITT don't know about Steam marketplace trading. TF2 keys are more or less a grey market on steam, being used for the buying/selling of all kinds of products. Him being given TF2 keys doesn't mean he plays that game, as much as it means he is an active trader on steam. $750 for 450 keys is also a low estimate, as they typically sell for $2.10-$2.20 each.

I doubt the Team Fortress stuff really had anything to do with it. Seems like a joke that backfired.

Team Fortress 2
3,478
Hours played

Recent Activity
49.8 hours past 2 weeks

He has over 3,400 hours in TF2 and his average playtime is either 49.8 hours per week, or for two weeks (unclear, since it doesn't specify), according to Steam, which is an insane amount either way. So, yes, he effectively has chosen playing Steam games over caring for his dog, so giving it away isn't a brave act, it's a basic act of mercy.

Those hours are most likely inflated due to a third party program. If you check his screenshots, he shows off multiple 300+ item "hauls", which reads to me like an idle program running to farm items. Which he then trades/sells on the marketplace

He also has over 500 hours in Apex, 1,500 hours in Counterstrike, and 100+ hours in countless other games, all with last played dates being literally today.

If anything, that actually helps my theory that he is using third party programs. You can run these games in the background of your computer, idling to collect items, without actually playing them. You just have to check in every so often to redeem them. Which, again, explains the multiple screenshots he has of getting 300+ items in TF2

I think the dude quite literally chose playing games over caring for the animal he took responsibility for.

Yes, it's a good thing he gave it away to somebody who will actually care, but it's no heroic act. It's him basically giving the animal away so it doesn't die under his watch.

I have no idea what his circumstances are. Just because you can sit in a chair and play a game, doesn't mean you can look after a dog.

See, this is a prime example of community notes being completely highjacked by trolls. "He has been facing financial struggles, its justified!". Who knew that 740 worth of micro transactions was a major budget item for those struggling!

why was the dog even part of the equation? if his friend is taking the dog because he can't/doesn't want to care for it, why was this something put into the transaction and not just a personal thing that no one needed to even know about?

So, in other words, he focused on trying to exploit numerous online games over caring for his dog.

Not sure how this is an argument against what I'm saying.

I feel like it kinda... does? Like, if you have the time to sit in a chair and game all day, you have time to meet the basic needs of a pet.

Granted, my main gripe is how gaming media is painting this story. They're trying to paint it like this feel good moment, like "This guy cared about his dog so much he knew when to give it away," when it seems very clear he never cared about the dog in the first place, if he couldn't stop averaging 50 hours per week gaming.

They can easily do other things (like feed a dog) while the programs are running.

Everyone wants the clicks, so it's either 'obsessed weirdo nerd sells dog for game shit', or 'hero gives up beloved pet in tragic circumstances'.

When really, none of this is even noteworthy.

Yet this guy couldn't, somehow, which kinda... Validates my entire point?

Likewise, like viewmaster said... Why was the dog part of the "transaction" in the first place? If he couldn't take care of the dog, why not just give it to the friend? Why make it a part of a literal game transaction?

Honestly, this could just as easily been a story about a guy selling his dog for crypto coins.

Which is literally no better, so I still fail to see what point you're trying to make. Again, if he couldn't take care of the dog, the right thing to do would be giving it to somebody who could... Not making it a part of some crypto/game/whatever transaction. If you can't take care of it, then you shouldn't be placing some kind of "monetary" value on it, period. Doing the right thing would be giving it to a proper home, not trying to profit off of it in any way.

Uhh I don't get why this is news

We don't know if the friend was the one to offer up the keys as compensation for taking the family dog.

We don't know if the friend was the one to offer up the keys as compensation for taking the family dog.

Therefore, he shouldn't have had to be offered anything to take it from him. That implies the seller did, indeed, want something for the dog

I feel like you're trying to play with semantics to relieve the owner, somewhat, and the only part I don't really get is why.

StealThisSheen posted...
Thus, he should just... Give the dog away. It doesn't matter who came up with the idea for the compensation, the actual monetary transaction should have never taken place. It should have been just... Him giving the dog to a better home, since he flat out said he couldn't take care of it.

He says the pair had discussed the option and things like covering what may be considerable medical expenses, and while OZest was insistent on paying in full they've agreed to split any bills 50/50.
It was while they were getting into the nuts-and-bolts of looking after the dog that the pair also began to discuss a TF2 item owned by Gummy, the Burning Flames Polar Pullover, which OZest wanted to buy for keys. And here's where things get even more interesting, as it turns out what lots of folk thought was a cruel joke with an animal as the punchline was about settling the medical bills between the pair.
"I was already offered a higher amount by another buyer (5400 keys which was around 8100 USD), and OZest offered a similar/higher amount as well (5450 keys, around 8175 USD)," says Gummy. "So after some discussion, I would discount the item for him for 450 keys (which can be sold for around 700 USD) to cover the 50% that I offered to pay on the dog's medical bills, and for him to settle any remaining medical bills on the dog.