Howdy, my name is Brian Firebaugh.

Some of you may know me as the Bucket from TikTok, where I share my ranch life as @CattleGuy with over 460,000 followers.

I’m raising funds to recover from a house fire, crumbling house and a wrongful lawsuit that have all hit at once. Wiping out our savings and threatening the home and ranch we’ve worked so hard to rebuild for more than a decade.

I never imagined I'd be here, writing something like this. Asking for help doesn't come easy to any rancher. But life's thrown more at us this past year than I can shoulder.

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The Fire

A small fire started in our kitchen and filled our home with heavy smoke. I used 3 fire extinguisher to put it out and house was filled with the chemicals. While repairing the damage, we discovered that our exterior walls were failing, structurally. Something insurance refuses to cover, even though it was uncovered during a covered repair.

That discovery turned what should have been a simple restoration into a full-on rebuild, leaving us with tens of thousands in costs we never expected and no coverage to fall back on.

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The Mechanic Theft

At the same time, I became the victim of a mechanic I trusted with my dream project. A 1978 Chevy K30 Squarebody Rooster (My son and I were going to build from the ground up and use in an upcoming TV show. That truck wasn’t just a toy; it was meant to be part of my brand and my livelihood. The $20,000 paid to the mechanic turned into a 1.8yrs of waiting and having to file a lawsuit to get the carcuss of the truck back.

The money was taken, the truck was hidden, and I’m still fighting through the legal system to get it back. Even if I win, the court can’t give me back the time, resources, or opportunity that were stolen.

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Snake Farm Lawsuit

Recently, I learned I’m being named in a lawsuit for an accident I had nothing to do with. They’re trying to serve me at my parents addresses. I’ve never met the people filing it. It’s one more blow when I’m already fighting just to hold everything together.

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What I’m Raising Funds For

The $50,000 goal will allow me to:

• Finish essential home repairs that insurance denied.

• Cover immediate rebuilding expenses and life safety work on our home that insurance denied.

• Stabilize my family through the fallout of these events.

If this campaign exceeds that goal, every additional dollar will go toward rebuilding our cattle herd, the foundation of our family’s income and dream we started building more than a decade ago.

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Why I’m Sharing This

I’ve shared every step of this journey openly on my TikTok so people can see the truth for themselves. It is my TikTok followers that have instructed me to file this campaign and at this time.

This isn’t about starting over; it’s about finishing what I began. It’s about keeping faith alive when everything else feels stripped away. The good book mentions that we should take delight in our tribulations. This becomes harder to do with the passing days. Recently, we learned Rooster will need heart surgery to repair a hole in his heart. Taking delight, is taking its toll.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for standing beside my family and me as we rebuild our home, our herd, and our hope.

— Brian Firebaugh

@CattleGuy on TikTok