Sorry to read about your break in and loss. I've noticed in reading the replies, you have gotten a lot of varied responses to what you should do, perhaps I can offer some more information to think about.
To start with, my previous career was in security. I had owned 2 different alarm companies, and have had maybe 8 years experience in the field. I also taught crime prevention for two years in public lectures and worked as a security consultant for the Air Force, movie stars, and several commercial firms. Finally, I have invented alarm equipment. I'm not telling you this to try to impress you, I just felt it was worthwhile to note my experience because my advice will be somewhat unconventional.
The first thing you need to be aware of is that you need to be aware that your troubles are not over. If you were hit once by someone and they were not caught, chances are they will try it again. Why? Because they realize most people have insurance and after a few months get the check from the insurance company and buy new goodies which the crooks promptly want to get their hands on. You also need to look at where you live, do you have a general crime problem in the area? If you are in a metro area, it almost goes with the territory.
Having said this, you need to look at how you appear from the eyes of the bad guys. You need to ask yourself, from their perspective...are you worth hitting again? A lot of that depends upon the type of crook you are dealing with. In your case, it does not sound like professional thieves. A real pro knows he can buy a $65 electronic lockpick that can open most deadbolt locks in 3 seconds or less. You wouldn't have had door damage if this was the case. You can also tell by what was taken if it was a pro or not coming after you. Did you know that pro's will sometimes make their hit completly invisible? They won't steal your TV, jewelry, and will even pass by loose change laying on your dresser...do you know what they are after? All they want is your tax return. Yes, they have discovered a way to make big bucks off of those. Make sure your tax returns were not taken in the hit or you will be very sorry later, believe me. If they were taken, notify the IRS immediately. A pro can get anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 in cash from your tax return. It all depends upon what income level you are in.
Now lets look at protecting your home. Again, you have to design your strategy to match a realistic threat. If you don't have the house and money of Bill Gates, you sure the hell don't want to pay up the ass for a top of the line security system. On the other hand, a $99 alarm system from Radio Shack might deter elementry school kids who just want to smash and grab but do little more. I think you need to put a figure in your mind of what you are willing to spend and stick with it. If you want to invest less than $500, don't even bother with an alarm system, instead get yourself solid core doors and high security locks (no key in the knob locks or simple deadbolts please). There are a lot of locks that are damn near pick proof for all but experts and they are not that much more than a top of the line deadbolt. If you have sliding glass patio type doors in your house, don't count on the broomstick in the tract to keep someone out. Start by putting in screws above the sliding doors that extend far enough to keep the doors from being lifted in their tracks. Get a good interior sliding glass door lock on top of this. If you have sliding windows in the house, the same thing holds true for anything big enough to crawl through. I would really beef up the entry way into the garage and make sure you have a digitally switching garage door opener that changes frequency. Otherwise it is a simple matter of recording your signal when you open your garage door and replaying it later to open it while you are not there.
As you have animals living in your house, it complicates the type of system you would need for an alarm and increases the costs. You will need both something that protects all the entry points into the house and motion detection in the interior. Expect to pay somewhere around $1500 for a basic alarm system from a reputable company and then monitoring fees of $20-$40 a month. If you want to save money, buy the equipment yourself from a well known online vendor but use a wireless system that is easier to configure and install.
Outside of locks and alarms, I've seen quite a few strategies to protect homes and businesses from thieves. I even knew one guy who would put live rattlesnakes in his store at night, a dozen of them. Never got hit once. Of course, that isn't practical for most of us and there is a huge liability problem for anything you do that harms someone breaking in your house. Sucks doesn't it? Don't get any ideas though about pulling a fast one and setting a trap for a crook, you will be sued up the ass and if you kill them, figure you will lose everything in court costs. It is a lose lose scenario. Stick only with proven non-leathal defense strategies. For instance, you can buy tear gas grenades that are activated by either a trip wire or electroniclly by means of a passive infra red sensor. These are fairly good for remote locations, but most people set off their own damn alarm systems or they go off by accident, so it gets expensive to play this game. Still, depending upon how much you want to spend, talk to your security consulant and see what options are legal for your area. I've used everything from smoke bombs that completely fill the whole house instantly with a nontoxic smoke (this scares the crap out of the bad guys) to military round blanks that when they explode, sound like a cannon going off. They can be heard miles away. Thieves don't like attention.
While you are at it, make sure you have effective non-leathal weaponry for you and your significant other to use. Guns, are not the best option IMHO. You can use some of the sophisticated and effective new non-leathal weaponry now without worrying that you will either kill someone in your own home or the bullet going into someone else's home to kill them. Play it smart.
Hopefully something here was of value.
Skipper