Today we will know the story of the Peeters family in pigeon sport, a family known all over the world both through the prism of one of the best cross-country skiers in Belgium - Thomas Peeters, and through the prism of the legendary veterinarian - Norbert Peeters, known as the "dove doctor".

Thomas Peeters was born on June 16, 1923 and was one of the pioneers in this field in Belgium. He began to be passionate about pigeons as early as 1930, but it was not until 1959 that he began to compete. "The first farm I had was made by my father in the attic of our house," said old Thomas Peeters a few years ago. Since 1971 he has formed a tandem with his son Norbert Peeters, a veterinarian since 1975, and since 1972 they have focused on long-haul flights. Very important to mention: between 1959 and 1968, Thomas Peeters made purchases of pigeons from the best breeders, such as De Meurichy, De Baere, Desmet-Mathijs, Lefebure en Cattrysse. The basis of the Peeters farm is a combination of these lines.

The tandem has gained international fame with the following pigeons:

- "Kampioen Barcelona", two-time winner of the 1st place National St. Vincent and then sold for a record amount in Japan

- "Kleine Molenaar", winner of the 1st place AS Fond K.B.D.B. 1977

- "Cahors", winner of the 1st place AS Fond K.B.D.B. 1979

- "Mountauban", national champion Montauban 1979

Main results:

1972

- 1st Cahors Provincial award
- 1st place As Yearling pigeon at "Belgian Pigeon Sport"
- 2nd place pigeon on medium distance K.B.D.B.

1973

- National 1st Prize St. Vincent

1974

- 1st Montauban Provincial Award
- First Prize St. Vincent Provincial
- 4th St. Vincent Provincial

1975

- 1st Cahors Provincial Award
- 1st Montauban Provincial Award
- 1st Prize St. Vincent Provincial
- 1st National Prize St. Vincent
- 1st place - champion "Limburg Fondklub"
- 2nd place pigeon Ace „De Belgische Duivensport” (n.r. Belgian pigeon sport)
- 31st and 91st International Barcelona places

1976

- 3rd place Bourges Provincial
- 3rd place Brives Provincial
- 12th place St. Vincent Provincial

1977

- 1st place Fond pigeon in Belgium
- places 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 Brive Provincial
- 1st, 3rd, 5th and 6th places Brive Interprovincial
- 1st and 7th places at Montauban Provincial
- 1st place Montauban Interprovincial
- 1st and 4th places Vincent Provincial
- 1st and 3rd St. Vincent Interprovincial
- places 6 and 16 national St. Vincent

1978

- 1st place - champion Fond Limburg B. D. B.
- 1st and 6th place Ace-Center pigeon
- 1st place «Grand Cercle de l'Est»
- 1st place Montauban National
- 1st place St. Vincent Provincial
- 1st place St. Vincent Interprovincial
- 1st place Argenton Interprovincial
- 1st place Marseille Provincial (3 hours before)
- 1st place in the medium distance pigeon 'De Belgische Duivensport'.

1979

- 1st place national K.B.D.B. Fund

In "De Belgische Duivensport" (n.r. the Belgian pigeon sport championship):
- 1st place - general champion of Belgium
- 1st place - champion of the Flanders region (n.r. competent of Belgium)
- 1st place - long distance champion

In "De Reisduif" (n.r. pigeon races):
- 1st place - long distance champion for Belgium
- the third Belgian champion on French flights
- 1st place Cahors Provincial and 7th place national Cahors
- 1st place Marseille Provincial and 4th place Marseille National

1980

- 3rd place long distance pigeon K.B.D.B.
- 3rd place overall in the Belgian championship

Since 1963, he has been champion every year.

Jos Thone was responsible for the care of the pigeons for a long time. From 1977 to 1990, he took care of the cleaning of the farm, and in 1988 he became the son-in-law of Thomas Peeters, marrying one of his daughters - Gaby.

In the following lines, read an interview that Thomas Peeters gave to the Pipa site a few years ago.

From which pairings did your champion pigeons emerge?

The national champions were born by cross, and here I mean:

3065077-65 «Gouden grijs», the basis of the whole farm.

5121096-69 «De Molenaar», 1st place Cahors Provincial 1972

5115638-70 «De Kampioen», 1st place St. Vincent National in 1973 and 1975.

5115639-70 «De Zieke», 1st place Cahors Provincial 1975 and Montauban Provincial 1975.

5135617-72 «De Lange St.-Vincent», 1st place Provincial and 4th national St. Vincent 1974

5165209-73 «De Hengst», flew four times in the first 25 at St. Vincent Provincial, 3rd place Provincial Pau 1978.

5260566-74 «Kleine St. Vincent », 1st place provincial and 6th national St. Vincent 1979, 1st place provincial and 7th national St. Vincent 1978

5047041-74 "Rode Asduif", 1st place "Belgian Pigeon Sport" 1974.

5218870-75 «Schuwe Ace Pigeon», 1st place AS «Belgian Pigeon Sport» 1979.

5218913-75 "De Marseille 1979", 1st place Marseille Provincial 1977 (three hours before).

5218849-75 «Kleine Molenaar», 1st place AS long-distance pigeon K.B.D.B. 1977 and 3rd place pigeon AS K.B.D.B. 1980.

5218767-75 "Montauban", 1st place national Montauban 1978.

5218874-75 "Pirate" had 61 awards in 3 years, on flights from 100 to 600 km.

5275198-76 "Cahors", 1st place national pigeon K.B.D.B. 1979.

5108309-76 "Stalin" never missed a long-haul flight.

5095024-77 "De Marseille 1979", 1st place provincial, 4th national and 5th international Marseille 1979.

Do you pay special attention to eye theory or wing theory?

We like to see a colorful, well-marked eye, but for us these are just some additional aspects. The wings play a very important role for long distance pigeons, but they should always be seen as an integral part of the body. Therefore, a good wing cannot be expressed by measurements and numbers if the proportions of the body are not taken into account.

When are the aviaries cleaned and by whom?

They are cleaned twice a day by the caregiver and vacuumed once a week. Once a year, the farm is disinfected with a good quality disinfectant.

Are you in favor of introducing fresh blood every year?

No new blood was introduced between 1968 and 1978. But due to too close inbreeding, we were forced to introduce new blood. So far, we have mainly used Dutch blood streams and we are very happy with this. One of these new blood streams is Gebr. Kuypers from Neer and Vervuurt from Horst. His descendants prove that good blood does not "lie."

What role does your wife play in your hobby as a pigeon fancier? What about the other members of the family?

It helps us a lot, ensures the punctual settlement of correspondence and more. Marja Peeters is responsible for translating the letters. Paula Peeters takes care of typing and editing genealogies. Norbert is a specialized veterinarian, practically the whole family is involved in pigeon sport.

What advice do you have for pigeon lovers at the beginning of the road?

1) Write "PATIENCE" on the farm door

2) To take into account only the enthusiasts who have obtained results for several years in a row and who are willing to help them in word and deed.

Norbert Peeters, one of the most famous veterinarians in the history of pigeon sport

Thomas Peeters passed away at the age of 85, on January 19, 2009. His passion for pigeons is carried on by his son Norbert, one of the most famous veterinarians in the history of pigeon sport. For over 30 years he has dedicated his life to researching this field, always creating new products and treatments for pigeons. Well-known names in Western Europe have made their apprenticeships and stolen trades from Dr. Peeters Norbert. For example Dr. Vincent Schroeder (Vet Schroeder Tollisan). From 2002 to 2006, he was an apprentice to Dr. Peeters, who passed on his extensive knowledge of the care of carrier pigeons and their related medicine.

Dr. Norbert Peeters is the trusted veterinarian of many world-renowned pigeon lovers, such as Jos Thone, his brother-in-law, or Gerard Koopman.

"Medical supervision is performed by Dr. Norbert Peeters. He makes sure to come regularly to the farm, where he examines the excrement so that there is no risk of pigeons becoming infected with trichomoniasis. He also makes sure they are vaccinated at the right time and correctly. ”- Jos Thone, four-time world champion.

"Good health is based on a good farm climate and complete nutrition. Occasionally, we use some pigeon-loving products and, of course, during the competition season, we follow the health programs issued by Dr. Veterinarians specialized in this sport - Norbert Peeters and Fernand Marien ”- Gerard Koopman, world champion.

But Norbert does not only deal with the medical part of pigeons, he also participates in competitions in the tandem Peeters Norbert & Vital. He achieved extraordinary results in long-distance flights, winning among others the 1st place Narborne Provincial (in 2014), the 3rd place at the Limburg marathon (2015), and in 2018 the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 8th places in Marseille.

Source of information and photos: Pipe