Welcome to CS, Crimsona - I'm sure you'll get to know people pretty quickly if you hang around the forums. :3 Some good places to meet people are the Forum Games board, the
roleplay boards, and the various chat boards, like the
Chicken Smoothie Chat or
General Chat. You also might want to check out the
Free Adoptions board to find more common older pets that people are giving away, since that can give your collection a good boost. ^^ Also keep an eye on the Pound - it only opens a few times a week, but when it does open there are pets of all ages available for a couple of hours or so and you have the chance to get a really good one.
The links Wild gave will explain things like the Pound in more detail, as well as give you other handy tips on building your collection. Have fun, and feel free to ask us any questions you might have! :3