Today, I saw an op-ed in the Seattle Times espousing the dangers of secrecy in our medical care. The timing was interesting. I’ve been on a bit of a block for my self-mandated “write something” kick and was trolling for subjects. And while I was listening to a story or two my family was telling regarding dog breeders and horse trainers, I had written down “The harm of secrets” as a subject that I might be able to expand on.

Like the medical field, there are secrets that nobody wants to bring to light. There are reputations to maintain, after all. But while “bad dogs” or “bad horses” may not have the terrifying importance as “bad medicine,” the secrecy hurts in very similar ways.

It’s all about informed decisions. Libertarians love the idea of market forces defining the economy and market forces alone forcing bad practices to go away. And their ideas work too, as long as the informed consumer is involved. But secrecy, a natural and rewarding tendency to hide bad news challenges the notion of the informed consumer. It’s hard to make the right decision if the information you need is not available.

If I have a mare or a bitch, what male should I breed it to? Do I go with the prize-winning stud that looks stunning, or do I go with the one that always seems to come in second to the same? Without knowing that that prize-winner’s offspring are often flawed animals, the choice is pretty clear. Knowing that, the choice is still very clear (and very different).

The same thing applies to training techniques, losses, and everything else involved in the care and presentation of show animals. Even when buying a pet, do you choose one based on the best price, the “nicest looking,” or how they spent their lives as puppies? The last one has the largest impact on disposition, but it’s also the one a buyer is going to have the hardest time discovering. There’s what’s marketed, and what’s real. Nobody is going to market their operation as a puppy mill. But they exist. And the breeders that work with them or compete against them know about it.

The problem is always “we know the behavior is bad, and we know it needs to stop, but who’s responsible for stopping it.” Without bringing it to the harsh light that is public criticism, bad behaviors can continue in secret unchecked. That’s not just bad for the buyer, it’s bad for everybody.