Right time for a dog?

These past few weeks St Louis has experienced off and on snow, sleet, freezing rain and the like. The city can't handle it, we shut down and only clear the major roads. Thus Meg, Carlos and I enjoyed a few days off while the city regrouped.
While walking over to the park this past Wednesday, we noticed a black dog running around without a leash. It seemed to be with a couple who were enjoying the park. As we approached the couple we commented on the dog to which they asked "you want her?"
The dog had been following the couple for about 20 minutes as they strolled around the park, she was less than a year old and ran around with all sorts of nervous energy. The dog was very sweet and took to us immediately. She had no collar, and no leash.
We decided that it was too cold to let her run around the park by herself, so with the help of another passerby we got her to our backyard.
That evening we took her in and called stray rescue, as well as the humane society to report the lost dog. The temperature was in the single digits that night so we were glad to bring her in.
Meg and I have off and on talked about getting a dog. Carlos absolutely loves animals and would love a little friend to cuddle and play with, but knowing how busy we are, the time and effort to train and take care of a pet may be more than what we can handle right now. We figured the only way that we would get a dog is if one just "walked into our lives." Was it meant to be??
To make matters worse this dog was so sweet and gentle with Carlos, she was playful and house trained. Overall just a great dog, we couldn't help but fall in love with her. So for a few days we took her in, never hearing from the Humane Society (HS). We bought her a toy and a bone so she didn't chew on anything of ours. We borrowed food from neighbors to keep her fed and loved on her when we got home. We were attached.
Knowing that there was somebody worrying about this dog, on Friday we took her to the HS to see if she had a microchip that would identify her and her owner. Luckily she did, and we were able to find her worried owners. But this dog didn't go without leaving a lasting impression on us..should we get a dog now?
In some ways there is never a right time, like getting married or having a baby. But typically with questions like those you have to be willing to take risks. So when is the right time to get a dog???