Brooke Houts, the YouTuber who accidentally uploaded a vlog in which she appeared to hit and spit on her pet Doberman, will not face charges of animal abuse. Furthermore, Houts will presumably be allowed to retain ownership of the dog, Sphinx.

The Los Angeles Police Department told BuzzFeed that it had closed its case against Houts after determining that no crime had been committed. "Animal Task Force looked into the matter -- obviously they saw the video the public had seen. They determined it didn't rise to the level of animal cruelty," police told the outlet.

Houts initially uploaded the video in question, titled Plastic Wrap Prank On My Doberman, in early August -- and she appeared to have forgotten to edit out footage of the alleged abuse incident. Following outcry on social media, the Lapd’s Animal Cruelty Task Force opened an investigation. Houts denied the allegations of abuse...