All kinds of dogs, from beagles to golden retrievers, are used for experiments at almost 400 facilities in the U.S. Regardless of the nature of the experiment, these dogs are kept in an unnatural environment, often isolated, and many times are intentionally caused pain with no pain relief.

The good news is that the number of dogs used is down nearly 40% from 1991. A great way to illustrate this progress is to focus on the entities that have achieved the greatest reduction in dogs. To that end, here are the 5 entities that have most reduced their use of dogs in cruel experiments:

1. MPI Research, Inc.—1,500 fewer dogs suffering in 2017 than in 2015!

• This Michigan-based facility, with a long history of testing the effects of various drugs on dogs, is at the forefront of dog research reduction.

• MPI has achieved the biggest reduction in dog usage: In 2015, it reported having 5,072 dogs, but by 2017, MPI Research reduced that number to 3,577. That’s almost 1,500 dogs in two years!

• Note: MPI Research is owned by Charles River, whose use of dogs has sadly increased by 3,131 since 2015.

2. Minnesota School of Business—97% reduction!

• The Minnesota School of Business had 781 dogs in 2015, and as of 2017, had 20 dogs total.

3. Globe University—reduced over 90%!

• In 2015, Globe University reported having 955 dogs, but by 2017, the university brought that number down to 92, a 90.3% reduction!

• Note: While the Minnesota School of Business and Globe University are related entities, their animal usage numbers are counted separately in federal documents, so we’re treating their reductions as separate wins, too.

4. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign—665 fewer dogs suffering in 2017 than in 2015

• The university of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign uses dogs in cancer and invasive fungal research.

• The university reported having 694 dogs in 2015, with a reduction to 29 dogs in 2017. In two years, it ended experiments affecting a total of 665 dogs!

5. Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.—493 fewer dogs suffering in 2017 than in 2015

• The New Jersey-based, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. reduced its number of dogs by almost 500 in two years. In 2015, the corporation had 1,338 dogs, though by 2017, that number dropped to 845.

Even though these facilities still experiment on dogs, it’s promising that they’ve significantly cut back. Each dog is an individual, making each reduction important.

We’re grateful to the leaders of these organizations for making this progress. However, we still have a long way to go. Read more about the work that still needs to be done to end cruel experiments on dogs.