THE BACKYARD — For humans and pets alike, there are chunks of time we have to spend alone — sometimes by choice and sometimes not.

What we and our pets do with alone time is entirely up to the individual. But might I suggest you think of a dog named Bear next time you find yourself alone with time to fill?

Bear lives in California, and he doesn’t take any of his alone time lying down. Instead, this obviously smart and playful pup invented his very own game of fetch. All he needed was a backyard, a tennis ball, and a full-sized trampoline, and he certainly doesn’t need a human playmate.

In the video, Bear takes his ball and gently sets it on the trampoline. He is so careful with this process that it’s obvious he understands that he needs a gentle roll from the ball instead of a wild pitch.

He needs that gentle roll for step two — nose-punching the ball from under the trampoline. Of course, the ball goes flying and Bear chases after it with glee before he starts the process all over again.

It’s the type of video that shows us there are plenty of pure and wholesome things in the world to love, even if we only get to experience them 1 minute and 25 seconds at a time.