Smithtown honors animal control officer Denise Vibal for public service

Smithtown used a public-service award to spotlight work residents usually notice only when an animal is in danger or a neighborhood problem turns urgent. Denise Vibal, an animal control officer with the Smithtown Animal Shelter, was honored at the Town Board meeting on June 10 with the town’s Exceptional Public Service Award, a monthly recognition reserved for public servants whose dedication, professionalism and character leave a lasting impact on the community.

Town Supervisor Edward R. Wehrheim said Vibal brings compassion, courage, professionalism and a sense of humor to animal control work, a job that can move from routine complaints to fast-moving emergencies without warning. Her recognition also drew attention to the broader role animal control plays in Smithtown, where officers respond to stray, injured and loose animals, as well as calls involving wildlife and dangerous conditions.

Vibal has worked for the Town of Smithtown since 2003, first in the Recreation Department before moving into Animal Control in 2017. Before joining the town, she worked at the San Diego Zoo and as a veterinary assistant, a background officials said helps explain her comfort with both domestic animals and wildlife.

Her record includes some of the kind of calls that rarely make it into public view. Town officials said she has scaled fences to rescue trapped deer, kayaked across water to free an entangled swan, climbed into storm drains to reunite ducklings with their mother, rescued native birds from trees and crawled through brush to save orphaned kittens. Those incidents show how wide-ranging the job can be in a town with waterways, wooded areas and dense neighborhoods.

The Smithtown Animal Shelter says it serves as the point of entry for lost, stray and surrendered animals, and that stray animals are held for the minimum statutory period of three days while staff look for owners and try to reunite pets with families. The shelter says animal control officers respond to complaints involving stray, vicious, injured and barking animals, along with owned loose dogs and other domestic or wild animals.

Vibal is also one of the familiar faces in the town’s outreach work, appearing at news interviews, community events, school tours and scout-troop programs. In December 2025, she was among the presenters when Smithtown High School East and West leadership students visited Town Hall to hear about municipal services and public-service careers.

Her team’s work also proved critical in April 2026, when Smithtown Animal Control and volunteers searched Brooksite Drive after a mother cat was found dead. Three kittens survived and were taken to the shelter for round-the-clock bottle feeding until they are strong enough for adoption. Councilwoman Lisa Inzerillo said the rescue showed how the community comes together when help is needed, regardless of species.